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THE FIRST BABY 



HIS TRIALS AND THE TRIALS OF 



HIS PA.RENTS, 



By Jerome Walker, m. d., 



PHYSICIAN TO " THE SEASIDE HOME FOR CHILDREN, CONEY ISLAND ; LECTURER ON 

"DISEASES 0¥ CHILDREN" AT " LONG ISLAND HOSPITAL 

MEDICAL COLLEGE," ETC., ETC. 



1 3 







NEW YORK: 
ZBie,0"W":r>r & DERBY, 

21 PARK PLACE. 
l88l. 






<{&> 
*& 



Copyrighted by 

Brown & Derby. 

1881. 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter I. - - - -> - - The First Baby 

Chapter II. - - The Doctor 

Chapter III. .... The Mothers-in-Law 

Chapter IV. The Council 

Chapter V. The Christening 

Chapter VI. - - - "Wanted— A Wet Nurse* ' 

Chapter VII. ----- On the Trail 

Chapter VIII. - Reports Progress 

Chapter IX. - Our Neighbors Children 

Chapter X. - - - - - The Nursery 

Chapter XI. - The New Platform 

Chapter XII. - - - - - - - Johnnie 

Chapter XIII. - The Author's Conclusion 



INTRODUCTORY. 



FT is generally considered by the average ob- 
-*■ server, a "streak of good luck" and the 
only good fortune parents may congratulate 
themselves upon in the rearing of children — if a 
baby escapes entirely, or lives through, the mea- 
sles, chicken-pox, and other "children's diseases." 
" Having once passed these ailments, the child's 
future prosperity is assured," — so many people 
believe. 

The cattle-raiser may with much greater pro- 
priety congratulate himself when his pigs and 
calves have " come through " safely, or with 
little apparent injury, the epidemic, pest, or 
plague, for in either case, the animals will soon 
be sold or killed for food, and then all his care 

and interest ceases. 

(5) 



INTRODUCTORY. 



With the babe, care begins even before its birth. 
The hopes and fears, the preparations for the 
stranger, who may make or mar the joy of the 
household, are but the beginnings of a care which 
may extend far beyond the life of a babe as a babe, 
which should extend to manhood and woman- 
hood. 

As there are mothers and mothers, so there are 
various degrees and kinds of care, but our av- 
erage observer does not know of them, and 
cannot appreciate that good, intelligent care will 
often pull a child through a severe sickness, when 
a half-way care or none at all, will allow the child 
to die or be maimed, it may be, for life. 

But, says our observer, "who is to point out 
what is proper care, and what have you to say, in 
answer to the common belief, that when a baby 
sickens or dies, it is an expression of the 'will 
of God,' or is a 'dispensation of Divine Provi- 
dence?'" 



INTRODUCTORY. 



My friend, experience in the ways and manage- 
ment of children is the guide to proper care, but 
it is not expected that parents with their first 
children will have much of this commodity, yet 
with " common sense," it can be acquired. 

Knowledge will then show that a violation of 
health laws results in disease and death, that an 
observation of sanitary measures will prevent 
many of the deaths among children now con- 
sidered by many as inevitable. The good Lord 
will then be looked up to, as one who " helps 
those who help themselves/' or assist others, and 
will not be held responsible when our babies die, 
for our sins of omission or commission, in our 
neglect or over care of them. 

Human babies are more helpless than the 
young of animals, and need assistance for a 
longer time. A current sentiment, relic of bar- 
barism, points to the mother as the parent who is 
to afford the assistance. By what right does the 



INTRODUCTORY. 



father claim exemption from responsibility? The 
whole of parental duty does not consist in rock- 
ing and singing the baby to sleep, and in feeding 
it — occupations which are looked upon as fem- 
inine in character. The baby needs at times to 
be amused, and to see faces other than those its 
little eyes have looked upon through the day. A 
strong, capable father, with a cheery face and a 
gentle but firm embrace, who owns, it may be, a 
watch whose "wheels go round," to the great 
delight of the little ones — such a man relieves 
the monotony of a child's life, and affords rest to 
the mother. How many of us men, think you, 
ever really appreciate the cares and anxieties 
many of the mothers of our children contend 
with ? 

It has been our misfortune to meet with 
mothers totally incompetent, and who, probably, 
always will be — to see " sticks of husbands and 
fathers," who thought it beneath their dignity to 



INTRODUCTORY. 



" look after a child " — but the saddest revelation 
was a father and mother, man and wife, who were 
the veriest old women, though still comparatively 
young in years, that one could imagine. No 
wonder their children were sickly and finical, with 
parents with no resolution of purpose. 

When parents are well mated and have intelli- 
gent ideas as to what a baby is, how it differs in 
construction and purposes from a puppet or the 
most delicate piece of machinery imaginable, with 
wheels and levers and motions capable of being 
disarranged by the slightest breath or touch — a 
rugged constitution, the ability to contend suc- 
cessfully with the variable changes incident to 
our climate will be considered of more impor- 
tance than the mere escape from children's dis- 
eases. 

The " good luck " for a baby resides in intel- 
ligent parents. 

Just here our average observer asks, " Can all 



IO 



INTRODUCTORY. 



parents acquire intelligent ideas ? " Our reply 
is, No, not at the present time. 

The time will come, we trust, when physiology 
and hygiene will be taught to growing boys and 
girls ; when young men and women will have 
outlined to them, dangers which beset their 
paths ; when young parents may listen to inter- 
esting lectures from reliable sources upon the 
management of children. Then, and not till 
then, can we look for great results. 

In the meantime, truths are to be spoken of 
and reiterated in various forms, as best they 
may. 

For years it has been the privilege of the 
writer to mingle with parents and children, in 
private practice and public work in nurseries, 
hospitals, homes, and dispensaries, and thus hav- 
ing by force of circumstances become conversant 
with babies and their trials, he has been asked to 
effect what good he could, by distributing through 



INTRODUCTORY. i r 



the press some of the information obtained. Part 
of this information has already been anonymously 
given to the public by the author, in a little volume 
entitled " How we Raised .Our Baby." The sev- 
eral editions of the book having been exhausted, 
at the urgent solicitation of medical friends espe- 
cially, I have concluded to have the book repub- 
lished under my own name, but only after a 
thorough revision and rearrangement. 

In a new dress, with a new name, and with 
added material, it is now presented to the consid- 
eration of all interested in " The First Baby," to 
arouse and sustain their interest in the care of 
children. 

It has seemed best to start with a young couple 
and their first baby, and by comparisons, to pre- 
sent various types of parents and babies as we 
follow the career of " the first baby." 

It is to be regretted, perhaps, that the plot of 
the story is so meagre, but the writer lays no 



I2 INTRODUCTORY. 



claim to being a novelist, and the narrative 
serves merely as a thread upon which to hang 
facts and to display to advantage, real men, 
women, and babies. 

Jerome Walker. 
Brooklyn, May 23^, 1881. 



Chapter I. 



THE FIRST BABY. 



JT has been suggested that I, Robert Matthews, father 
of a first baby, should detail, for the benefit of mankind, 
my experience and that of my wife in the rearing of 
our youngster. 

I am somewhat loath to do this, for our baby was 
compelled to pass through many trials, and yet perhaps 
Lena and I knew about as much of the care of children 
as the generality of young parents, and the baby did not 
have more to contend with than many first babies do, so 
I am told, Authorities claim that first babies die in 
greater numbers than those who succeed them, and if 
that be so, then of course one must not wonder at the 
tribulations our little fellow was subject to. Yes, I be- 
lieve we were about on a level with the majority of 
young couples, i. e. y as far as finances and knowledge are 
concerned. 

My wife was the youngest of seven children, and 
undoubtedly had been petted as the youngest will often 
be, yet she was not " spoiled." Living with her parents 

05) 



!6 a new home. 



at the old homestead for years, every wish of hers had 
apparently been gratified. 

Ordinarily among the friends of the family she was 
looked upon as a pleasant, agreeable young lady, but 
" with no aim in life ; " yet she had inherited vigor 
of intellect and possessed a physical energy and a 
sunny disposition which sustained a not very strong 
body. 

Such was the woman I fell in love with, and I thought 
to myself, as I was becoming more and more entangled 
in the silken meshes of love's net, "All this girl needs is 
to have a home of her own, to show her friends of what 
material she is made"— and so, after a reasonable court- 
ship, I gave her a home ; but before we move into it, 
allow me to briefly describe myself. 

Imagine then before you a man twenty-four years of 
age, of medium height, muscular, and tolerably good-look- 
ing — a fellow who in his younger days had ranked as 
somewhat " harum-scarum," but who now had " settled 
down " with ambition and energy, some common sense, 
and certain vague ideas as to the duties one owes to his 
family, his country and his God. Such was the man who 
married Lena Vincent in the beautiful village of Willmot, 
Minnesota, and brought her to his home in New York 
City. 



HOME COMFORTS. Y y 



My salary was a moderate one, but enough for three, 
for Bridget was an important personage in the family. 
The little money I had saved before marriage served to 
plainly furnish a small house. A cupboard with neatly 
arranged shelves showed to the best advantage our little 
stock of dishes and cooking utensils. The new black 
walnut clock, the bright carpets and polished furniture; 
the array of towels, napkins, sheets and pillow-cases in 
our linen closet; the round table in our sitting-room, 
with its bright crimson cover ; our collection of books — 
all pointed to comfort. We were comfortable. For the 
first year little was planned for the future. The present 
was sufficient in its happiness. The ease with which we 
accommodated ourselves to circumstances, as I look back 
now, was wonderful. On Bridget's day out, Lena was 
delighted to act as cook. If we had griddle-cakes, we 
ate in the kitchen, Lena and I taking turns in supplying 
each other with hot cakes. (And let me say here,, that 
such light, hot, delicious, digestible cakes are not easily 
obtained, when the servant or dumb-waiter is compelled 
to carry them from room to room.) 

Concerts, lectures, and entertainments we occasionally 
enjoyed, as the funds could be spared. Fortunately for 
us, we could find enjoyment in reading. Neighbors 
visited us, and we returned their calls; and in this way 



X S THE ARRIVAL. 



our first year of married life passed pleasantly. Lena 
thought that "now she did have an aim in life, and that 
was to look out for my comfort," and I felt sure that I 
had not been mistaken in the woman I had chosen. 

Into the second year we drifted, as happy as any loving 
pair could, upon the smooth, still waters of contentment. 
The tide of time had scarcely rippled the surface of our 
placid enjoyment, and not for one moment did we sup- 
pose that anything or anybody could change the current 
of our lives, or in any way interrupt it — yet the baby did. 

It arrived in the night, and here we were alone, for 
Bridget had left us in the lurch, having anticipated the 
arrival. I had expected to employ Doctor Naman, but 
I had failed to solicit his services in advance, being a 
novice in these matters, and so was compelled to call in 
Doctor Lyons, who lived close by. With the assistance 
and encouragement of the doctor, Lena bore up bravely ; 
and I was presented with a little, crying boy-baby, 
that must be washed, dressed and fed. Between the 
doctor and myself the bathing and clothing were effected ; 
but of how much service I was cannot now be estimated. 
I do remember, though, that- by the time that work 
was done, the morning rays of the sun shone into the 
room. The doctor turned off the gaslight, closed those 
shutters which had directed the sun's rays into the baby's 



-NURSING. T g 



face, for fear that the strong light would injure the little 
one's eyes, which were blinking already. 

"If your wife was strong enough, Mr. Matthews," he 
said, "I should desire her (for her own and the baby's 
sake) to attempt to nurse within one hour after its birth. 
This early nursing hastens the milk, acts (from the so- 
called * colostrum ' particles which the secretion contains 
at this time) as a laxative to the child, and often pre- 
vents serious hemorrhages with the mother. In one 
sense you are fortunate in not having a nurse at this 
time : you are saved meaningless or hurtful suggestions. 
The ignorant woman believes in giving molasses and 
water, or a little gin, etc. The more intelligent (?) will 
advise some medicine. Our best nurses come from the 
Schools for Nurses connected with our hospitals. But 
few in number as yet, their services command a price 
too costly to the man with a small salary. If I had 
been aware of your situation, I might have found you a 
reliable woman, willing to work and follow out direc- 
tions; but you must obtain some one for a day or two, 
till I can look around." 

While the doctor was speaking, the door-bell rung, 
and Mrs. Billings, our stylish neighbor, having heard of 
the arrival, sent over her maid to inquire " how Mrs. M. 
was." Little Mrs. Jones, down the street, with a house- ; 



20 THE NURSE. 



ful of cares and armsfulof babies, stopped in "just to see 
if she couldn't be of service ; " and of great service she 
was, putting things to rights and preparing breakfast for 
me, and some tea and panada for Lena. All this 
brightened us up ; but it was evident that we must have a 
nurse, until Lena's mother or mine could come to us. Mrs. 
Jones suggested some one ; so I decided to go for her. 

The doctor kindly remained while I went on my 
errand. I met our washerwoman at the door ; and she, 
saying she would send up her sister, the Widow Flynn, a 
woman who had raised a family of her own, I was thor- 
oughly satisfied, and reported at head-quarters up-stairs. 
" Beware," said the doctor, as he took up his hat to leave 
— " beware of widows, and of those who found their 
ability to care for children on having ' raised a family/ " 

While Mrs. Jones was at work in the kitchen the 
widow arrived. I answered the bell, and ushered a large, 
muscular, stolid-faced woman into the bedroom. 

Depositing a forlorn-looking, enameled cloth bag 
upon the floor, she took off a musty-smelling shawl and 
bonnet, and, seating herself, asked for the baby, some 
water, a towel and a piece of soap. I handed her the 
baby, wrapped up in a shawl, as carefully as I could, for 
handling a baby under such circumstances is, for a nov- 
ice, a very delicate business. 



MOLASSES AND GIN. 



21 



At tiiis point I left the room for my breakfast, and 
Mrs. Jones appeared with the panada. She afterward 
told me that she found the widow had soaped the child, 
and was then rubbing it briskly with a rather coarse 
towel. The little one was screaming; and my wife 
complained of feeling so tired^that Mrs. Jones merely 
suggested that if a little oil were rubbed over the body 
and a softer towel used, the baby could be cleansed suffi- 
ciently for the first washing. Mrs. Flynn replied that 
" she ought to know — hadn't she had nine children of 
her own ; and where could any one point to finer chil- 
dren ? — and she would thank people to let her alone." 
Well, thought I, they are the sturdiest, dirtiest set of 
youngsters I have set my eyes on — and is mine to be 
like them ? Heaven forbid ! As I entered our bed- 
room, the first discord that had ever entered our home 
was quite apparent. There sat the nurse, with the baby 
dressed lying on her capacious lap, and, with a teaspoon, 
she was endeavoring to feed it some thin arrowroot. 
She had already given the molasses and gin. Lena, 
weak as she was, was protesting — urged the importance 
of doing as the doctor had said, and baby was seconding 
it all by screams, the like of which I had never heard 
before. Finally all was quiet. 

Urging upon my wife the necessity of attempting to 



22 A MOTHER'S DESIRE. 

nurse, with regularity, every two or three hours, as the 
doctor had suggested, I left for a few hours' business, 
procured a servant and sent her to the house. 

Billings met me, and was surprised that I should have 
an addition " so early in married life. It was not con- 
sidered exactly the thing." Jones, the man of large 
family, congratulated me warmly, but rather overdid it, I 
thought, when he wished me u many happy returns of 
the day.." But he was not to blame, for he was over- 
worked, and did not always apply ideas correctly. 

At any rate, I started homeward quite proud — -had 
sent telegrams to mother and mother-in-law ; but I 
found my poor wife in tears, because she did not seem 
to have any milk, and she "did wish to nurse her baby, 
because it was right, and better for mother and child." 
In this dilemma, what could I do but send for the 
doctor ? What he said and did we shall see. 



Chapter II. 



THE DOCTOR. 



HID I say that I sent for the doctor? No; I went for 
him. The day, that had begun so fairly as to 
weather, disappeared in gloom and sloppiness, and by 
the time I reached the office — though the doctor lived 
but a short distance off — my spirits lowered into sym- 
pathy with the surrounding darkness. I was but little 
surprised to find that the doctor was not " at home," and 
so mechanically walked in, sat down, and waited quietly 
for ten minutes — very impatiently for the next fifteen. It 
occurred to me, then, that doctors ought to be ready 
when you wanted them. To be sure, the office was a 
pleasant one — here and there evidences of taste and 
culture. There was just enough fire in the grate to 
gently warm the room, and to bring dimly into view a 
poorly dressed woman and child, who sat in the farthest 
corner of the room. I saw them, and that was all, for 
did I not have a family at home, with the new member 
probably screeching, wife crying, and the widow deter- 
mined to carry her point. The thought of such a scene 

(23) 



24 



WAITING MY TURN. 



to a man accustomed hitherto to peace and quietness, 
irritated me so that when the doctor did come into the 
room, I was not in the best of humor. Here was my 
family waiting for the doctor, and he actually attended to 
that forlorn-looking woman in a faded shawl, rusty dress, 
and a bonnet that must have long since seen its best days 
before he seemed to realize that I was in the room. Hers 
must be a " charity " case; while I was ready, just at that 
time, at least, to pay almost any amount for advice. The 
woman rose to leave and the little one held out a puny 
hand, and feebly said " good-bye." 

"But, doctor," asked the mother, "do you really think 
anything can be done for Bobby? " 

" Yes, my good woman, much can be done by good 
food, plenty of fresh air, and moderate exercise. These 
are better than medicine alone. The fact is, we must 
manage in some way to change your quarters. If you 
hear of any rooms that might suit you, let me know." 

"Couldn't I find some nursing to do, doctor? anything 
to keep me busy and make me independent of my friends, 
and I have some friends left, after all, you know ; but 
good-bye : I trust the time will come when I can repay 
you for your kindness." She went out with tears in her 
eyes. 

For a moment I almost forgot my own anxiety in the 



JOB'S COMFORTER. 25 

little humane sympathy which will at times ruffle the 
surface, in spite of one's determination not to be over- 
come. 

Having inquired as to my errand, and receiving the 
statement that affairs were decidedly squally at 264 Tenth 
Street, Doctor Lyons and I started. It is all very well to 
say, " Don't anticipate trouble ; " but a man who has but 
a little while before left his new baby trying to concen- 
trate all its features into one unsightly bunch in the 
centre of the face, by puckering lines, radiating in all 
directions from the common centre, and whose voice 
rang out with alarming clearness, but with little variation 
in note — whose wife, before known to possess self-control, 
was now completely unstrung — is not in a condition to 
be calm. If there was no natural food for the baby, how 
was it going to live, and what would my wife do ? 

Down at the office, that day, Salter had called, con- 
gratulated me, of course, sat down, and, as if it might be 
useful for me to know, told of their first baby — how it 
didn't nurse, because it couldn't get anything, how they 
tried every food that was recommended by the neighbors 
and friends, and still it grew weaker and weaker, until, 
finally, a "kind Providence removed it from its sufferings 
by death." After thinking over all this, and of what 
Billings had said, it did seem rather tough to have one's 



2 6 PURPOSE IN LIFE. 

family increased so soon, and then to run such a chance 
of losing the new-comer, as appeared to be opening up. 

Lost in reverie, I was aroused by the doctor saying : 

" Did you notice that woman's face when she thanked 
me?" 

I had seen that it was clearly cut, with none of those 
swollen or discolored rounded spots so indicative of 
intemperance in eating or drinking. It was pale, the 
cheeks were somewhat sunken, though on them appeared 
for a moment or two a faint flush, as she rose to leave. 
At any other time I might have thought her even good- 
looking, but she seemed to me then a sort of impostor, 
who was consuming the doctor's time and so robbing me 
of his services. Her eyes were expressive and did their 
share in thanking him, and undoubtedly her mouth was 
small and also expressive, but she had interfered with 
my visit ; so I answered : 

" I noticed, doctor, that she seemed to think a good 
deal of you." 

" Well she might," he replied, " for she owes some at 
least of her present health to my advice. Why that 
woman was one of the brightest, prettiest creatures, 
ten years ago, that you ever saw, but, unfortunately, 
she had been brought up in luxury — had no settled 
purpose in life, except to get married. Her daily life 



HEREDITY. 



27 



consisted in dressing and redressing, eating, receiving 
calls and going to parties and entertainments, she was 
naturally smart, and had her physical development been 
encouraged even a tenth part as much as her mind had 
been forced, she would have been in a different condition 
of life now. When she played croquet, it was like an 
automaton. When she endeavored to skate, she became 
tired, and, with a pain in her side, sat down to rest. Horse- 
back-riding was ' too severe ; ' outdoor sports blistered 
her hands, tanned or freckled her face. Like a fragile 
plant deprived of sunshine and air, she had grown, but 
was pale, of lax fibre, and showed few signs of vital energy. 
To make a long story short, she married the same style 
of man. The baby that was born to them was a pale, 
sickly-looking child, such as a friend of mine used to call 
a * spermaceti baby.' Though the mother tried very 
hard to raise the child, yet it soon showed its poor 
heredity. Rickets developed, the bones were soft and 
bent, the ligaments at the joints were feeble and relaxed, 
the ribs sinking in at the angles, interfered with breathing, 
the appetite was poor. At the end of two years the child 
died of inflammation of the lungs. When the second 
one was born, two years afterward, the parents were 
poor. Soon the father died, and here is this woman 
battling against poverty and hereditary defects, in the 



2 8 EFFECTS OF DIET. 



hope that she may be able to keep this child alive. 
Poverty has helped her more than she imagines, how- 
ever, for if she had been able to give the delicacies that 
once she could command, this child would have followed 
the other. By being able to control the food of mother 
and child, through our diet dispensary, and by having the 
mother come frequently for advice, I believe that the boy 
will pull through. Certainly the mother is stronger than 
she once was. It is surprising to see how much there is 
to the worker, even in the midst of poverty, when there 
is something and somebody to work for/' 

By this time we had reached my door. Though it 
was dark still, and the sidewalk was dotted with puddles 
of water and the walking was disagreeable, and nature, 
seemed to be in a gloomy mood, yet my heart had been 
lightened at the thought of this poor woman battling 
against such odds, and really, after all, worse off than I 
was. 

It was extremely pleasant, therefore, to me, in this state 
of mind, to find the baby asleep, though I saw that the 
doctor had perceived the odor of the nurse's gin when 
we entered the room. 

Mrs. Flynn had been aroused with difficulty by 
repeated ringings at the door-bell, and she showed 
unmistakable evidences of having taken some of the 



GIN AS A BEVERAGE. 2 g 

medicine which she had recommended for the " poor 
baby's little stomach." She sat herself down with a 
vehemence which prophesied a fight upon the line she 
had chosen — "even if the doctor had discovered her 
failing — " 

Leaving her seated, and mumbling to herself — so I 
thought — " I'll git square with him yit " — we went to the 
bed-room, where the doctor in a quiet way calmed Mrs. 
Matthews by telling her that it might be several days 
before she could nurse the child properly, but probably 
only two or three. Finding that my wife had fallen 
asleep, the light was turned down so that mother and 
baby could sleep, and the doctor and I adjourned to 
another room where we could hear distinctly the inco- 
herent mumblings of Mrs. Flynn. 

The doctor surprised me by saying: 

" Do you know, Mr. Matthews, that you will have to 
disturb that widow? Discharge her to-morrow. A 
woman who can't keep awake, who carries bottles in her 
handbag, who takes gin as a beverage — is not just the 
person to leave in charge of your wife and baby. I 
know you did the best you could under the circum- 
stances, but, now that we know the woman, the sooner 
she is disposed of the better." 

"Yes, truly; but who is going to dispose of her? 



30 



EDUCATED NURSES. 



You know I engaged her only a little while ago, and I 
don't like to—" 

" Nothing like promptness now," interposed Doctor 
Lyons. " I have seen so many accidents happen to other 
men's wives, from ignorant nurses, that I do not care to 
risk your wife with this one. Educate women for nurses, 
pay them living wages, and hold them responsible — that's 
my belief. If you don't feel like sending her off, I will 
do it in the morning when I call, and will see to it, also, 
that you have a reliable woman very soon afterward. 
These women who have raised so many children, and 
who are fond of describing the method, are too dogmatic 
to suit me. They imagine that all children are, or onglit 
to be, constructed alike." 

" I should think, doctor, that the woman ought to 
know something about children, hadn't she ? " 

"Yes ; but there is such- a thing as a mother thinking 
she knows all about them, when she has not learned to 
apply correctly what knowledge she has. 

" Why, there was that kind neighbor of Mrs. Bond's, 
on the next block to you, who insisted upon giving Mrs. 
Bond's little one some patent food, because her children 
had been raised on it. The baby couldn't take it, didn't 
want it ; threw it up, made all sorts of faces, and after all 
I found that the neighbor s babies hadn't been raised very 



GETTING KNOWLEDGE. j-I 



far, for most of them died early. You must look into 
these matters at the outset. Friends and neighbors will 
crowd in upon you before long, and it requires a level 
head to know how to manage. Find out that a baby 
isn't a mere machine ; get all the solid information you 
can from reliable sources, and then go ahead. In a day 
or two I will loan you some first-rate books, and com- 
mand me whenever you wish advice. A word more 
before I go. This wife of yours is not strong, but she is 
sensible and willing to do all she can, and will work 
beyond her strength. Now help her. You will say that 
you never supposed the father would have much to do 
with raising a baby. Yes, I know that idea is very often 
practically carried out, but it is not right. There are 
many ways in which you can help her to raise the child, 
without having to tend the baby yourself, and there is no 
reason why the woman should do everything. It is well 
enough to have your wife's mother come here, and you 
must have a good nurse for two or three weeks, but don't 
rely entirely on either. So good-evening.'' 

The night w T as passed in comparative quiet. Baby and 
wife slept, so did Mrs. Flynn, but not quietly — for ever 
and anon I was aroused from my slumber by a series 
of short, grunting sounds which always ended in what I 
felt sure was an unusually vigorous snore. 



32 



MRS. LAWRENCE. 



It was with pleasure, therefore, that I was aroused from 
this restless, uneasy sleep, by the approach of daylight. 
Very soon after breakfast, which I attempted to prepare, 
the doctor came. 

For ten minutes there was some loud talking in the 
sitting-room, and when the widow came out it was 
evident that her self-conceit had been wounded. I paid 
her, and as she tied on her bonnet and pinned her shawl, 
her fingers seemed to grasp these objects a little more 
tightly than there was necessity for. 

" It's very strange, seems to me, that you can't know 
when you are well off. A woman who has raised a 
family like my own, to be turned off at a moment's 
notice! A little gin ain't so bad as you all make out. 
You will see the time when you will be glad to stop his 
stomach-ache with it. Well, no matter. Doctor Lyons 
will be sorry for all this ! " 

And so she went out, and as she did so, the doctor 
ushered in Mrs. Lawrence. She was a little body, but 
when she had spoken kindly to my wife, kissed the baby, 
smoothed the pillows, cleaned and aired the room, I was 
confident that all was going smoothly; so I sent for my 
mother-in-law. 



Chapter III. 



THE MOTHERS-IN-LAW. 



WITH our new nurse and new servant, home prospects 

seemed to brighten. To be sure, Katie somehow 

or other couldn't brown the biscuits just right, and the 

coffee failed at times to emit any aroma, or on other 

occasions it was undoubtedly burnt, but the blame was 

laid upon the " new-notioned French coffee-pot," and so 

satisfied was our domestic with the good things she did 

accomplish, that she was very cheery. In fact, she was a 

typical specimen of a healthy, robust Irish girl, willing to 

work, and not at all afraid of it. 

I felt sure that I did not over-estimate my wife's ability 

to manage household matters when she had recovered 

her health, and it did not seem as if there could be any 

clashing. The nurse did so nicely, too. Her methods 

were so simple, and yet effective. Mrs. M and the 

baby thrived — the one on good, solid, substantial food, 

which she was able to take by the third day, and the 

other on the results — milk. The little one did not appear 

to need much food, for it slept most of the time, but made 
3 (33) 



24 CHURCH-WORKERS. 

good use of what it did take. At the end of a week, 
thanks to the good care and food, Lena felt very much 
like "being at work." What a strange procedure it was, 
not many years ago even, to feed a woman on slops 
simply because a baby had been born. Our little family 
seemed to appreciate the present age, and so comparative 
comfort was restored. It could be only comparative, for 
baby had a way of rousing us at night, demanding atten- 
tion just as the evening paper was to be read, or of tuning 
up in the midst of a conversation. It was certainly a 
new experience. The neighbors began to pour in upon 
us, too, especially the female element, in a way unheard 
of before, in our quiet quarters. Mrs. Billings showered 
congratulations upon my wife in one moment, while in 
the next she " hoped that baby wasn't going to tie her 
down, for there was so much going on — the fair and raffle 
at Rev. Mr. Barnaby's church, the opening of a new and 
immense variety store — and then a new nursery was to 
be founded, for the care of dear little children. And," 
said the energetic, inconsistent lady, " Mrs. Matthews, we 
expect you to be one of our managers. It will be such 
a pleasure for you to care for the little ones, now that 
you have one of your own." 

Our next-door neighbor, Mrs. Percy, was gruff in ex- 
terior, but with a kindly heart. Her offers of assistance 



WHO BABY LOOKS LIKE. 



35 



seemed to us at first not to be reliable, but as we knew 
more of our friend, as she came to be, her goodness re- 
vealed itself in motherly care and solicitude. She was the 
only woman of our acquaintance, by-the-way, who did not 
believe or state that the dear baby was "just like its 
father or mother," as the case might be. " Little differ- 
ence does it make, Mrs. Matthews," she would say, 
" what your baby looks like : handsome is that handsome 
does : or, as my old father used to say (and he was some- 
what of a natural-born doctor), give your youngsters 
good sound underpinnings, and then what goes on atop 
of them will stand and look well enough." Then there 
was the finical Mrs. Lazelle, who lived four doors down, 
good by nature, willing to help, but she was not a fav- 
orite with any one, so far as I could see. Her trials, 
according to her own statement, were more severe than 
those of other people. Her husband, kind as any 
man could be when they were married (neglected her 
now that four children had come), was absorbed in his 
business, and never attempted to control the children 
any more, etc., etc. You have all heard the same story 
repeated again and again, and so did we ; but added to 
ours were little bits of gossip, and any number of queru- 
lous complaints. Whether Mr. L was such a man 

as his wife portrayed, and she such a faithful and pains- 



36 



THE NEW NURSERY. 



taking wife as her story revealed, I did not know at the 
time, though I have had occasion since to become inti- 
mately acquainted with both of them. 

Among the young unmarried ladies who were welcome 
was a Miss Oley, given to good works. Already had 
her name been " handed in " as a " manager " in the 
newly proposed institution for the young, though she 
was at the time a faithful worker in the Diet Dispensary 
cause, a leading member of her church, corresponding 
secretary for the Mission Society, teacher of an evening 
" ra gg e d school," founder of an afternoon sewing school, 
originator/ of fetes, festivals and entertainments, and a 
friend of the poor and unfortunate. 

Her enthusiasm was contagious, and already my wife 
was, unawares, laying plans for future usefulness. It 
was a study to watch Miss Oley's eyes fairly sparkle as 
she enumerated the advantages to be obtained by this 
new nursery. They already seemed real, so vividly 
were they outlined. 

On the tenth day after the baby was born, my moth- 
er-in-law, Mrs. Vincent, arrived by the eight o'clock 
morning express train, and in a short time after trunk, 
bundles, and parcels were stowed away in the " spare 
room," and a breakfast had been eaten, she was thor- 
oughly at home. Her coming seemed to straighten out 



MY MOTHER-IN-LAW. 



37 



the little inequalities apparent in a house which had 
been without a housekeeper's care for nearly two weeks. 

The nurse, faithful as she was, could not look into the 
details of house management, and neither did Katie 
desire her to do so, for she had confidence in herself; 
and then it was extremely inconvenient to be interrupted 
in the midst of a conversation with Joe, the butcher's 
boy, or to be asked to do this or that just as her cousin 
(?) Tom Mullins had called to spend the evening. 

As Mrs. Vincent assumed charge, the machinery 
began to move. Joe loitered less at the basement-door, 
and remembered that he was needed at the shop ; Tom 
failed to call as often as before, and took good care to 
leave at ten p. m. sharp, the time Mrs. V. closed the 
house for the night; meals were promptly served, and 
the food was well selected and well cooked ; the clean- 
liness about the house was as of old, and I could see in 
everything that was done ways that reminded me of 
Lena, yet it was not Lena who sat opposite me at the 
dining-table, but a tall woman, with features sharpened 
and pinched by age, with hair just turning to gray, 
whose eyes, though dimmed, yet were capable of glist- 
ening with animation, and bespoke a latent power in the 
owner. Her manner was dignified and precise, and 
were it not for the fact (known to myself) that she had 



38 



A WET-NURSE. 



allowed Lena to have her own way, over and over again, 
I should have supposed that she was always severe. I 
knew that she was determined at times, though I had 
never witnessed any exhibition of will — but that was to 
come. 

" Robert/' she said, on the morning of the seventeenth 
day, after breakfast, " I do not believe that Lena will be 
able to nurse her child. The poor little thing needs 
more now than it did, and Lena never was very strong, 
and now that she has begun to walk around, there seems 
less nourishment than ever, but we will see what can be 
done. I think that the poor girl ought to have a wet- 
nurse, or you must buy a cow or a goat ; for they do say 
that, in New York, water is put into all the milk you get, 
and I guess a good many other things, too, go in." 

I knew very well, from what my wife had said from 
time to time, that baby was more restless, and was much 
harder to take care of than before. I also knew that 
somebody was walking up and down the floor at night 
with it, and it seemed strange that all this should have 
occurred within a week. 

Baby did not sleep in its crib any longer at night, but 
" grandma " took care of it, so I learned. Having read 
a short time before a book on " the danger to the young 
of sleeping with the old," the whole subject was so fresh 



EXPENSES ROLL UP. 



39 



in my mind, that I felt rather alarmed, but I did not care 
to say anything. It was a disappointment, too, not to 
have the crib used, which I had spent so much money 
for. 

To be sure, I saw but little of all this, as I was ban- 
ished to a room by myself. From what I did know, 
however, it was not conducive to preservation of one's 
temper to be told that perhaps he might have to buy a 
cow. Already the baby had cost considerable, taking 
the doctor, two nurses, crib, outfit and extra diet, into 
account. It was now suggested that it might be well to 
have a " christening supper" on the day of the baby's 
baptism. Little as Mrs. Billings believed in babies, she 
did believe in suppers and social gatherings, and, as it 
"was just the thing nowadays," it became a question 
whether or no we ought not to observe the prevailing 
custom. To be sure, it would cost something, if we did 
as we ought to ; but, then, it was for the baby, and the 
occasion and expense would occur only once, so they 
said. It was decided, therefore, that the supper should 
take place, and those friends were to be invited who 
were interested in children, or who had children of their 
own. 

As the baby did not seem to thrive, I walked over to 
the doctor's that evening to consult with him, and found 



4o COMMON SENSE. 



him at home. He could not see why we were having 
trouble, and believed that Mrs. Matthews was not living 
as she ought to, " for you see," said he, " although your 
wife is not very strong, yet a proper kind and sufficiency 
of food — exercise in the open air every day — entire 
freedom from worry, — pleasant surroundings, with occa- 
sionally the careful use of certain medicines, will improve 
her health, and does in the majority of cases, place the 
woman in a position to be able to nourish her child. 
There are nervous, excitable women, who never can 
nurse, and also a certain proportion who, by a hot-house 
propagation, and a fashionable observance of dress, 
haven't the necessary strength and formation of body. 
The third class comprises the lazy people, who find it too 
much trouble. Now, your wife, Matthews, does not 
belong to any one of these classes. She is not lazy, she 
has nervous and physical strength, and then to direct all, 
there is that rare possession, ' common sense/ To be 
sure, she has not Mrs. Percy's strength, for she has not 
the same muscle, but she is small, energetic and wiry. 
These small people accomplish very much, and overcome 
obstacles that more muscular people would not attempt. 
I will run over in the morning. By-the-way, I under- 
stand your mother will be there then : I am glad of it. 
We can talk this whole matter over between us, and with 



MY MOTHER. 



41 



two such faithful guardians as mother and mother-in-law, 
your wife and baby ought to thrive. Good-evening." 

As I started for home, I hoped that all would go well 
— but I was doubtful, for my mother had decided views, 
too, and it was a question whether these might not clash 
with those of some one else. 

My mother came in due time. Let me describe her 
appearance and ideas before we proceed further. Brought 
up in comfortable circumstances, she had always had 
plenty to eat, wear and spare. Living in the country 
among the hills, where the purest water was to be found 
and milk was abundant, where there were but few, if any, 
artificial wants (such as we all deem necessary in the 
cities), and yet an abundance of the real necessities of life, 
she grew to womanhood. 

Her married life was a pleasant, congenial one. The 
natural cheerful disposition of her younger days deepened 
and widened into a golden, ripe old age, full of life and 
happiness. There seemed to be but one cloud of sad- 
ness, which would, at times, fall upon her, as it had quite 
often come across her pathway in the first twenty years 
of her married life. It had its origin in the fact that 
" none of her boys were girls !" Five boys and not one 
daughter. And so it happened that she grieved at times. 
Brought up among a healthy country people, where not 



42 A COUNTRYWOMAN'S VIEWS. 

to nurse children was such an exception that the mother 
doing this was almost a curiosity, it was quite natural 
that she should believe that women ought always to 
riurse their children. 

Our baby was her first grandchild, and so, hearing of 
our roughened path toward a dietary, she hastened to us, 
fully convinced that Lena was no exception to the rule, 
which, by this time in her life, had become firmly fastened 
as a part of her being. 

It was of little avail to argue with my dear mother 
upon the subject. The fact that she had, after all, during 
a long life, seen but very little of the difficulties in the 
way of raising children, such as are found among dense 
populations, was of no moment with her. Her faith was 
unshaken in natural feeding, and her whole soul was 
enlisted in the baby's cause. 



Chapter IV. 



THE COUNCIL. 



WHEN Doctor Lyons called, a curious impromptu 
council was convened in behalf of our boy. There 
sat Mrs. Vincent, calm but very dignified, with an evident 
determination to enforce her own ideas, founded upon 
"her own experience." 

Mother, not doubting for one moment that her 
logic of "duty" would be triumphant, was unusually 
cheerful. 

My wife, still quite weak, was in no condition to take 
part in any discussion, and as for myself, I must confess 
that my mind was " muddled." 

" Doctor," began Mrs. Vincent, " I believe you have 
advocated Lena's nursing her baby, haven't you ? " As 
Doctor Lyons nodded his head in assent, she continued 
— " Well, in my opinion, it may be right for a woman to 
nurse if she can, but if she can't she can't — and that is 
the whole of the matter. Lena has never been strong, 
and I have known of women dying of consumption, who 
would persist in nursing their children. The mother is 

(43) 



44 CITY MOTHERS. 



of more importance than the baby, and if either is to die, 
let the baby go. There ! you have my opinion ! ! " 

It did not calm Mrs. Vincent in the least to have 
mother reply, who could see no reason why Lena should 
not nurse. All women ought to. Where she had been 
brought up, mothers did not believe in feeding, though 
they had the best of cows to get milk from. Consump- 
tion didn't come in her country by nursing, but only 
when people were careless. 

• " Ah, that's all very well in the country, Mrs. Matthews, 
but we are in the city now, and probably you have not 
seen as many city mothers and their babies as I have." 

" True, my dear Mrs. Vincent, but Lena came from the 
country, if I remember rightly, and — " 

Here my wife, fearing a scene, turned to the doctor 
and related her experience — how she cried for the first 
few days so very often, during Mrs. Flynn's stay, and 
how the baby cried. Then Mrs. Lawrence came, and 
with her, hope for the future. She thought that the food 
she had had helped her very much, " and she knew the 
baby wasn't so troublesome, then, as he had been lately, 
when she had taken less exercise and had less food. 
Mother thinks so much food makes me bilious, and it is 
bad for baby. Mrs. Billings was in to-day and insists 
upon it that I ought not to be bound down, just as 



TAKE THINGS EASY. 



45 



everything is going on. I don't know what to do about 
it. Whatever is going to be right for the baby I want to 
do, but I can't stand it this way. He frets, won't take a 
long sleep, cries all night, and is so worrisome. Doctor, 
what am I to do? Mrs. Matthews thinks I ought to 
nurse him and mother thinks I ought not. I never did 
think babies were so hard to care for. I hope I will 
never have any more. How could Mrs. Jones ever 
raise so many children as she has without going 
crazy?" 

"Allow me to answer your questions one at a time," 
replied the doctor. " You know, Mrs. Matthews, I took 
the liberty of telling your husband that you had common 
sense, and could be relied upon in emergencies, so don't 
become flurried — 'take things easy' as the saying is. 
You will come out all right yet — if all of us here will 
help you." 

" That does not mean, I suppose," sharply asked Mrs. 
Vincent, " that we are to persist in making my daughter 
nurse, does it, Doctor Lyons ? " 

" My dear Mrs. Vincent," mildly interposed my mother, 
"you know that nursing is the only natural way of 
feeding a baby, and I have always been very thankful 
indeed that I nursed all my children." 

" Yes, yes. I have heard that statement before, Mrs. 



4 6 



BABIES AND MOTHERS. 



Matthews ; but a woman wants to be something more 
than an animal." 

, y " I am sorry, ladies, that I can't agree with both of 
you," said the doctor; " but the fact is, the subject of the 
feeding of children is rather a complicated and difficult 
one. If all babies and their mothers were exactly alike 
in temperaments and peculiarities, there would be no 
trouble. Here are two books that I should like any or 
all of you, if you feel inclined, to look over: dne is enti- 
tled ' Combe on the Management of Infancy ; ■ the 
other, 'Advice to Mothers, by Chavasse.' They are 
not novels, but they are full of sound sense. As to 
consumption, Mrs. Vincent, resulting from nursing, 
I never heard of it, except when the mothers had 
an hereditary tendency to disease of the lungs, or the 
nursing was improper in various ways, or unduly pro- 
longed; but your daughter is healthy, and has sense." 

"It's strange, doctor, but I was telling Mrs. Vincent 
only yesterday, just about the same thing you have told 
her; but she says that she understands Lena's constitution 
better than I do." 

" I certainly do," Mrs. Vincent emphatically responded. 

Becoming annoyed somewhat by these interruptions 
by mother and mother-in-law, I appealed to the doctor 
to give his views. 



ACQUIRING HABITS. 47 

" Because a woman is not as strong as Mrs. Percy," 
he resumed, "that is no reason why she should not nurse. 
In the country, feeding of babies is comparatively rare, 
but look at our cities, pass through our tenement 
houses, our institutions for the young, visit the houses 
of the well-to-do, and we see that nursing is more com- 
mon among the poor than the rich." 

" I told you so, Mrs. Matthews." To this sally of Mrs. 
Vincent no attention was paid. The doctor then ad- 
dressed himself to Lena. " Try to get out every day in 
the fresh air, and, by-the-way, don't shut your windows 
tight at night. The outside air must be purer than that 
found indoors, coming up to bedrooms from kitchens, 
halls and the cellar. It is a curious sort of idea people 
have that they should not breathe night air. What 
other air can they breathe at night ? Some of the baby's 
restlessness may be due to your close room. Your stove 
makes the air impure ; every gas jet poisons as much air 
as four persons. Little babies need a good deal of air, 
but not too cold, or in strong draughts. I understand 
that yours won't sleep in the crib any more. Babies 
acquire habits very early. Take up a child because it 
frets or is restless, or rouse one from a sleep (as is so 
often done merely to gratify the curiosity of friends), and 
it soon learns to expect, to be held. Feed a baby irregu- 



4 8 



THE BABY OUT-DOOR. 



larly and it soon demands irregular feeding. Dose with 
soothing-syrups and soon the dose has to be increased. 
Of course none of these things have happened with you, 
and I can hardly account for this change. Excuse me, 
Mrs. Matthews, but while I am talking, let me suggest 
that perhaps you have to much company. 

" Just now there is a furore in society over the establish- 
ment of a Nursery, and every lady, so it seems to me, 
who has any influence, is being asked to interest herself 
in it. Mrs. Billings has been here already to see you 
about it, I understand, and of course Miss Oley will be 
after you — a very nice young lady, but too energetic. 
Let us get through with our private nursery first. Be 
cheerful, live well, take daily exercise, and follow out 
these written directions as to medicine, and then you will 
be better, I hope. Now for the baby. He is now old 
enough to go out every day if it is not windy or rainy. 
Mere dampness under foot need not keep him in, if you 
have a baby carriage. Dress him warmly in light, fleecy 
garments, but don't put on so much clothing as to induce 
perspiration. I never could see why babies' faces should 
be covered with vails, except on very windy days. If 
you are not able to go out, or send him out, you can 
open the window, put on your out-door wrappings, and 
walk about the rooms with him. 



" SLEEP-DROPS." • 49 



"When night comes, and the baby is restless, and 
seems to cry with pain, warm the feet by the fire or rub 
them well with the hands. This rubbing is often very 
soothing. A heated flannel applied over the stomach is 
of service. Do not be led, I pray you, into giving ' sleep- 
drops/ You say 'they are said to be harmless.' I 
would reply that those said to contain no opium are 
likely to have morphine instead; that I have seen several 
cases of poisoning from their use ; that syrups, as they 
are, they are liable to interfere with digestion. Plain 
aniseed, catnip, peppermint, cinnamon or fennel tea are 
much safer. ,, 

This reference to "sleep-drops" aroused Mrs. Vincent, 
who affirmed that there was a good deal of bosh in the 
talk of physicians against quieting medicines. " Don't 
tell me — many's the comfortable night I have had with 
them. The baby is to be christened on Sunday, and I 
don't want to hear him cry — that's all." 

"Ah, Robert dear, don't you remember how often I 
have told you what a good baby you were, and never a 
taste of ' sleep-drops ' did I give you." 

My good mother would like to have had me promise 
then not to give the baby anything to quiet it, but she 
did not wish to start a controversy. Whatever you 
decide upon, ladies, in regard to medicine, be careful of 



So 



"THE CHRISTENING." 



the baby generally. If the day is very unpleasant, would 
it not be well to postpone the baptism ? Our churches 
are generally heated either too much or too little, and 
babies are tender little plants. Physicians find much to 
do among the babies of the Irish, especially, who are 
carried to church, to " the christening," the Sunday after 
they are born, or the Sunday following. Statistics upon 
mortality in France, show that a large proportion of 
deaths among infants there is due to this early ex- 
posure. 

"One other point, before I leave," said the doctor. 
" Some of your kind neighbors will undoubtedly tell 
you, if they have not already, that your baby will suffer 
from colic and dyspepsia, and be troublesome till he is 
1 three months old.' Just at the turn into the fourth 
month he will be expected to do wonders. Now, my 
experience is, that it will be two, three, four, or even 
seven months before a change occurs, all depending 
upon the condition of the child, and the ability of 
parents and doctor to be rightful interpreters of signs 
and symptoms. 

" Some babies are born very feeble, and have but a 
poor chance of living under the best care. Some, like 
yours, are born strong and fail afterward. Like all the 
popular beliefs which have gained ground,' and still hold 



DIGESTION. 



51 



it, this one, as to a definite time for the recovery of an 
afflicted baby, has an element of truth in it. At about 
three months, saliva and the digestive juices are secreted 
in quite an appreciable amount, and babies have devel- 
oped to such a degree that the digestive organs are able 
to accomplish more and better work. Now, if there has 
been simply a want of digestive power in the baby here- 
tofore, at three months this will be largely remedied, 
but you can easily think (without medical knowledge) 
of causes which might stand in the way of this natural 
remedy. 

"A baby may have inherited digestive difficulties. It 
may not be able to nurse, from some deformity of the 
mouth, lips, or throat. It may not digest the milk from 
mother or nurse, and feeding has to be resorted to. The 
right kind of food may agree, but unfortunately there is 
no one kind that will answer for all babies. Hence, if 
the baby can digest, and the food given is digestible and 
just the thing to sustain life, then all will go on well. 
Suppose that these combinations are not present, of what 
use is the three months' rule ? " 

Doctor Lyons withdrew, and we who were left behind 
hardly knew whether we were any the wiser for his efforts 
to instruct us. Mrs. Vincent was more decided than ever 
in her expressions of dignified contempt for the doctor 



52 



NATURAL FEEDING. 



and his " hobbies." "This doctor of yours, Robert, has a 
hobby on feeding of babies, and he wants everybody to 
nurse. Out in Minnesota, one man calling himself a 
doctor, cured everything by rubbing. Another man 
always used electricity; another, medicine for every- 
thing; and another, none at all — Pshaw, for such men 
and their hobbies." 

Mother could not keep, from rubbing her hands with 
joy in the belief that her ideas had proved to be well 
founded, and though she evidently tried hard to restrain 
her tongue, it did say : 

" Mrs. Vincent, Doctor Lyons seems to me to be a 
very sensible man, and I must say his ideas about what 
he calls ' natural feeding ' meet my approval." 

This "must say" was just sufficient to awake some of 
the smouldering fire in Mrs. V., now only shone in her 
eyes, but which in her younger days would have been 
more manifest. I then tried my hand in smoothing the 
troubled condition of things, but I only made matters 
worse, as men generally do. Lena perceived the situa- 
tion of affairs, and suggested that we should go to dinner, 
which was ready. A good dinner helps wonderfully to 
smooth ruffled feelings, and so did ours that day. The 
care of the baby, by apparent consent of all parties, was 
not to be referred to for a time, and it was not; but 



BUYING A GOAT. 



S3 



the remembrance of the misunderstanding created was 
not pleasant. 

Going to the office after dinner, I told Salter, who 
after all was a good fellow and friend, of our late council 
of advice. " Well," said he, " it must have been rich. 
Why didn't you invite me? I had a hobby that I learned 
from my mother-in-law — that is, that feeding with goat's 
milk is the thing. Why, Matthews, I scoured the city 
for a goat, bought one, tied her in the back yard. Well, 
she bleated all night, and none of us could sleep : then 
she did not give all the milk she was warranted to give. 
Somebody said, ' feed her more/ and I did, and one night 
she got into the feed-box I had for her, and the result 
was, she died. I buried her under the grape-vine, where ' 
she will do some good, and bought another. This on^ 
I did not tie, and in about twenty-four hours every green 
thing in the yard was eaten up, the grape-vine was 
barked, and I sold the beast. Now, other people may 
do better with goats than I did, so don't you feel down- 
hearted. My other hobby comes from our doctor, 
Doctor Pearsall ; and this one is, that after all, grand- 
mothers and the old people are the ones to tend to the 
' little matters ' about feeding and clothing of babies, and 
all the other little things that you know something about 
now, Bob, I believe. But, now that I think of it, you 



54 



AN OLD WOMAN DOCTOR. 



remember young Jenkins, who used to be here. Well, 
his mother had a hobby, which I believe did kill one of 
his youngsters. She believed in i fresh air,' and fresh 
air it was. To get the full advantage of it, his baby was 
exposed to it at all times nearly, so as to harden its skin. 
' People would smother their children,' she said, ' with 
clothes,' and so she put on very few of them. The baby 
died of what the servant said the doctor called the 
' brown creeturs.' There is Perkins' mother, who has a 
new hobby every week. Just now, everything to flourish 
must go under ' blue glass.' Perkins never could have 
his children out in the sun before, for fear that they 
might freckle. His mother has charge of the children 
' now that his wife is dead. Well, they take a run, and 
come in the house and sit behind the blue glass for a 
w T hile. I believe they look better than they did, owing 
to the sun and romping in the open air, but the old lady 
sticks to it, it is all owing to the blue glass. 

" It strikes me, Bob, that that doctor of yours is kind 
of an old woman. I understand that there is some talk 
of putting him in charge of the Nursery, when it is 
started ; but he will never do for that place. What is 
needed there is a man who will let the ladies do as they 
like, and not interfere with them." 

My dreams that night were about mothers, mothers-in- 



A DECISION. 



55 



law and grandmothers generally. It seemed to me that 
there were about twenty of them, all pulling at one little 
baby, and each in a different direction. Then there were 
six doctors, each giving different advice. All were talking 
at the same time, till the jargon grew so loud that it 
awoke me. 

It had not occurred to me in the midst of the din that 
if a little common sense had been used some decision 
would have been arrived at ; but I made up my mind 
now to have no hobbies, to learn what I could about 
babies, and not to let any one but Lena have the super- 
vision of our infant in the future. I had begun to dread 
controversies, and I was rather gloomy over the pros- 
pects of the coming christening-supper. 



Chapter V. 



THE CHRISTENING. 

-RABY was just six weeks old when he was christened. 
What his name should be had been talked of ever 
since his birth, and finally a decision had been arrived at 
that he should be called John — after my father. Mother 
had gained a point against much opposition. The dear 
good woman thought that such a name would never be 
nicknamed. Little did she imagine that the boy would 
be called " Jack " oftener than John. 

Neighbors and friends had overwhelmed us with 
advice. One thought " that being the first child, he 
should certainly be named after his father." Another 
suggested a " romantic name." A third, a " Scriptural 
one." Especially did our old friend Mrs. Carey urge a 
name from Scripture. Her boys, Timothy, Joshua, and 
Paul, were much dearer to her than they would have 
been had she named them Charles, Adolphus, and 
Henry. So she thoroughly believed ; but those of us 
who knew the old lady well, recognized the fact that her 
whole life had been so devoted to doing good that it would 
(56) 



AN "OLD MAID. ; 



57 



have been impossible for her to be influenced by mere 
names or conditions, even in her efforts to do right by 
her own family and the families of others. 

March 25th being a service-day had been singled out 
for the christening. Invitations to the supper which 
was to follow, were sent to her and Mrs. Billings, Lazelle, 
Percy, Jones, Bond and Salter, to Miss Oley, Mrs. Carey 
and Miss Denny— the last, though very plain-looking, 
and an " old maid " withal, could not be forgotten. She 
presided over a little thread and needle store (where 
my wife had bought from time to time sundry little arti- 
cles), had sent in the early days of the baby's life a large 
pincushion with the words " Welcome, Little Stranger," 
ingeniously worked upon it with pins. This pincushion 
was a wonderful piece of workmanship. To be sure the 
letters were not all of the same size, and the cushion leaked 
saw-dust a little, but as Miss Denny had made it "all 
out of my own head " as she expressed it, we could not 
complain. She had been in a flutter for some time over 
the prospect of the baby's baptism, had assisted in mak- 
ing a new cloak for the boy, and had told scores of 
people " how beautiful Mr. Matthews' baby was." 

At first it was thought that Doctor Lyons might be 
invited ; but on second consideration, founded on a de- 
cided opinion expressed by Mrs. Vincent " that he might 



.58 



OUR MINISTER. 



ventilate too strongly some of his hobbies/' his name was 
omitted from the list. I readily agreed to this as I knew 
he was very busy just then, and would find it difficult to 
find the necessary time for a christening supper. 

The Rev. Mr. Barnaby and wife of course were invited, 
as he was our minister, " and then he was so fond of 
children," Mrs. Vincent remarked. " How beautifully he 
did hold them when he baptized them " — then there's 
something about his way of preaching, that "goes right 
to the heart." It depends on whose heart it goes to, 
thought I, for in my way of thinking Rev. Mr. Peters's 
ideas are preferable, about almost any subject; and to his 
church I had gone until my mother-in-law came, when, 
for her sake, I had changed. Undoubtedly Mr. Barnaby 
could eloquently discourse on the duties of parents to 
children and children to parents, but the reverend 
gentleman and his wife had never had children of their 
own, and did not want to adopt any on account of the 
impaired health of the lady. Yet they had decided views 
as to how children should be reared, and were not slow 
in making their views known. Mrs, Barnaby, who 
echoed the sentiments and opinions expressed by her 
husband, as to the proper method of raising children, 
claimed, in addition, that she was fond of them. While 
Mr. B., though he had been known at times to pat vari- 



REV. MR. BARNABY. 



59 



ous little urchins upon the head, and had been seen to 
kiss some of the little girls, did not really love them. 
At least so Miss Denny believed, and no one knew more 
of what was going on in the parish than this same Miss 
Denny. Her little shop reminded one of the country 
post-offices where the old and young of the village meet 
to talk over crops, or the latest news, or to indulge in 
banterings or flirtations. 

There was a rumor that the Minister had once had 
charge of an institution for children, and was found to be 
severe and even cruel with some of the inmates, but his 
friends claimed that all such stories were inventions of 
the " evil one." 

"Evil one, is it?" chimed in Miss Denny, one day when 
I had stopped at her store for a little purchase, and a friend 
I found there was telling me of the rumor. " You ask 
Toby Flack, the boy who chores for me, and he'll show 
you a scar he says he got from that Institution Super- 
intendent." Just then Toby's head appeared above the 
trap-door covering the front passage way to the cellar, 
from which he was coming with a scuttle of coal. Across 
the street could be seen the form of the Rev. Mr. Bar- 
naby coming in the direction of the store. Down went 
Toby's head, body and scuttle, so it seemed, all at one 
time into the cellar ; and I never saw the boy afterwards, 
so had no opportunity to verify the scar. 



6 THE NEW CLOAK. 

But the rumor had an effect upon me, for it didn't 
seem natural for a boy to dodge a minister so precipi- 
tately. 

After I had a few days' experience in raising our boy, 
I began to question the ability of any one to teach about 
the care of children who had never been taught them- 
selves by the need of sleep, worriment of mind and 
increase in current expenses, which had so far at- 
tended my experiment. This feeling, together with the 
rumor, had not favorably disposed me towards Mr. Bar- 
naby. It was a source of consolation therefore to me to 
know that Rev. Mr. Peters would probably be at the 
supper — a concession to my wishes which did not please 
my mother-in-law, but which suited my mother. 

March 25th was ushered fti with as bright a prospect 
for a pleasant day as one could desire. The sun came 
out in his glory, and the clothing worn by all x>f us 
during many chilly days preceding was now really 
uncomfortable. It became a question whether baby 
should wear his new thick cloak which had been made 
expressly for this occasion. After a long discussion 
among the ladies, during which " ifs " and " buts " pre- 
dominated, it was decided to be a " shame " for the baby 
to go without it ; so it was carried to be used, if neces- 
sary : to be seen, at any rate. After some delays — said 



PLENTY OF WATER. g x 

to be always inevitable, where there is a baby — we 
started, and on the way some one remembered that a 
shawl which had been laid out for Lena's use, had not 
been brought along, but as my wife thought she was 
dressed warmly enough, it was not sent for. I suppose I 
ought to have gone for it, but I was so much elated at 
the prospect of the baby's having a name — that I did not 

The air in the church proved to be cooler than the 
outside air had been. This we found afterwards was 
partly due to the fact that the sexton had allowed the 
fires to go out a few days before. We felt chilly, but we 
could not help the matter now. Lena had hoped that 
Mr. Barnaby would not " drench" the baby with water as 
she had seen him do at other baptisms : but he did, evi- 
dently believing in the efficacy of quantity. Our boy — 
our first-born — gave vent to his feelings in loud, ringing 
cries, despite the "sleep-drops" which probably had been 
given. 

Mrs. Jones told Lena, after the baptism was over, and 
as we hastened toward home, that having had the same 
experience with her first child, she was determined, when 
the second was born, not to have it over again, so 
she began very early to get the child used to plenty of 
water, when it took its bath, by filling a large sponge full, 
and squeezing it out over the baby. The same plan she 



62 THE MOTHER'S WILL-POWER. 

had tried with her whole seven children, and with the 
best results. Not only were they not afraid of being 
baptized, but they were not afraid to take baths as they 
grew older. This item I put down in my note-book, 
which I had lately procured for the registry of facts such 
as this. We had reason to hasten, for the sky was over- 
cast. No longer did the sun shine, for his place was 
taken by the cold-looking gray clouds, which gather so 
suddenly in the early days of spring. The wind had 
aroused from its apparent slumber of a few hours before, 
and now reminded us of the fact that he was a disagree- 
able companion. Several members of the party sug- 
gested they had known the weather was going to be 
unpleasant, but not a word on the subject had been said 
by any of them until we complained of chilliness. By 
the time we reached home, Lena was exhausted and 
complained of a pain in her side, and notwithstanding 
her will-power, found herself unable to preside at the 
supper. The baby seemed to know that his mother was 
ill, and was frightfully cross. Mrs. Lawrence took charge 
of the mother and baby, while Mrs. Vincent assumed 
Lena's place at table. Between her and myself it was 
understood that the auestions relating; to the care and 
training of children, which had already proved " bones 
of contention/' should be avoided. 



CATCHING COLD. 63 



When it was found that my wife did not appear in the 
dining-room, all sorts of inquiries were made, and various 
opinions broached. " I knew," said Miss Denny, "when 
Mrs. Matthews went without that shawl, that she would 
catch cold. There isn't a bit of dependence to be put on 
the weather here, even if ' Old Probabilities ' does control 
the whole thing. Five years ago, when I went out in the 
same way — I mean without a baby- — I had the 'yaller 
jandice;' so I know something of how risky it is." 

" But, Miss Denny," quietly asked Mrs. Carey, " why 
didn't you tell Mrs. Matthews what you knew?" 

" Why, bless your heart, I was so taken with the baby 
and his new cloak, that I quite forgot he had a mother ; 
and Joe Plunkett, too, told me his mother died of a chill 
caught at his baptism. I might have known better, to be 
sure, but I was so flustered like. Any way, the church 
ought to have been warmer." 

" I think myself, Mr. Barnaby, that the sexton was a 
little forgetful to-day in his arrangements, and I agree 
with Miss Denny that it was quite chilly," said Mrs. 
Carey. 

"The fact is," replied the minister, " that it was decided 
last week, not to keep the fires up any longer. Our 
expenses are heavy, you know, and we dispense with the 
fires generally as soon as spring sets in. There's nothing 



64 "STRANGE GODS." 



like economy, and fire is about the only item that we can 
cut down on just now, and there must be a strike some- 
where. The quartet cannot be disturbed, and all the 
salaries are low enough now." 

" But, Brother Barnaby, don't you think that it might 
be economy to keep up the health of the congregation ? 
You know, you and I have to rely upon ' the people ' for 
our bread and butter, and if the people should happen to 
die off very fast, where would we be?" 

This good-natured suggestion on the part of Rev. Mr. 
Peters was not received by Mr. Barnaby in very good 
spirit, for he immediately retorted : " Look here, Peters, 
you are not the same man you once were. Ever since 
that Dr. Lyons has belonged to your church, you have 
been thinking of the ' health of the people/ The times 
are not so good yet, that we clergymen can afford to be 
going after ' strange gods/ sanitary reform, et cetera. 
It may 'do for the young men to start up such sensations, 
but I don't propose to have anything to do with them — 
unless it's policy to. Those are my sentiments, and what 
Dr. Naman thinks. He is good enough authority for 
me. 

Doctor Naman was an officer in the Church of the 
Heavenly Rest. So dignified was he that few people 
thought of ever asking him any question other than was 



MINISTERS DISAGREE. 



65 



absolutely necessary. His dignity, combined with a 
large, substantially built body, commanded respect, and 
gave the impression to the people with whom he came 
in contact that he was a wonderful man. He was 
brusque in his manner, prided himself on being as non- 
communicative as an oyster, was a man with but few 
strong friends — one of whom w T as Rev. Mr. Barnaby. 

The mention of such a man as " authority " rather 
nettled the ordinarily mild Mr. Peters, and he entered 
into a strong defence of Dr. Lyons — admired him for 
his perseverance in the prevention of disease, rather than 
in the treatment; but Mr. Barnaby laughed at such views, 
and trusted that such a " doctor" would never be con- 
nected with the new Nursery, for he would upset every- 
thing. 

Salter, who sat next to me — in a low voice, not to be 
heard by the reverend gentlemen — told me that com- 
plaints about the church being cold had been made many 
times before, and it was a well-known fact that Mr. 
Barnaby held all the church funds in his own hands. 

From various parts of the table were heard fragmentary 
portions of conversation, and as far as I could perceive, 
babies were the burden of them, and all in spite of the 
agreement between Mrs. Vincent and myself. Allusion 
was made to the weather, and then the question arose as 



§§ FLANNEL. 



to the necessity of flannel with babies and children. 
Mrs. Lazelle thought it made little difference how you 
dressed children : they would get dirty and they would 
catch cold in spite of you. For her part, she was tired 
of always fussing as to what her children should wear. 

Mr. Barnaby had lately read in the Crosstown " Herald 
of Health " (and here he dropped his voice and cast a 
furtive glance at his clerical brother), that flannel should 
always be worn, for, as a non-conductor, " it had no 
equal." 

Miss Oley was heard to remark that some skins were 
so tender that they could not bear flannel at all. Mrs. 
Percy said her boys had never worn it, and had never 
suffered from the want of it. Their skins would bear 
anything, but, after all, what was most needed was to 
feed them up well. " If you put good, solid food into 
them, you won't need flannel outside." Mrs. Jones 
thought that children were not all alike. Some of her 
children could wear flannel and some could not. Woolen 
socks would make Tom's feet tender, while Susie could 
not go without them. She had learned by experience 
that sometimes two pair of cotton stockings gave more 
warmth than one pair of woolen ones ; that a loosely- 
woven garment was lighter, and, she really believed, 
warmer than a closely-knit one. If the children could 



NATURAL HEALTH. 



6 7 



wear, and she could afford to buy them, she would have 
woolen undergarments of varying thickness for the dif- 
ferent seasons of the year; for she did not believe it was 
safe to rely entirely upon a child's natural health. " Of 
course, we've got to work and work with our children, 
if we want them well and happy." 

" Thank goodness," said Mrs. Billings, " I have no 
children. Perhaps my opinion is not worth much, but 
if I were you, Mrs. Jones, I would not tie myself down 
to any family as you do. Hire a good nurse, and come 
and interest yourself in our Nursery." 

" That reminds me," said Miss Oley, and having ex- 
cused herself, she left the room. Just then the door-bell 
rang, and Dr. Lyons walked in, deposited his hat and 
cane, and, at my suggestion, went to my wife's room, 
accompanied by Mrs. Vincent. 

Presently a door was slammed, and Miss Oley entered 
the parlor with a provoked look and an " irritated skin," 
sure enough, if we could judge by the color, but probably 
but one or two present, besides myself, noticed it. It was 
momentary, and the general conversation had not lagged. 

The principal topic at one time uppermost was "babies' 
names," then babies' teeth, etc., etc. Mrs. Percy became 
quite eloquent over the advantages to be derived from 
oatmeal, as a food for children. 



68 • .- OATMEAL. 



Mr. Barnaby endorsed all she said, and added, " that 
all children could be made to like it. Such a food, con- 
taining all the elements of nutrition, rich in nitrates and 
phosphates, and capable of sustaining life, should be 
eaten by everybody." He had it always on his table for 
breakfast. Salter asked if that was all that he had. " Oh, 
no," replied Mr. Barnaby, " but it is the regular dish. 
Generally there is meat and potatoes, coffee, rolls and 
eggs ; but then we couldn't do without the oatmeal, it's 
so strengthening, and is so rich in brain food. I doubt 
very much whether I could get along without it, espe- 
cially when my brain work is more than usual." In the 
midst of an animated discussion on the value of "cereal 
foods " — in which Mrs. Jones was heard to say, "her ex- 
perience was that l air children wouldn't and couldn't 
eat oatmeal " — Salter w r hispers to me, " When was Mr. 
Barnaby's brain w r ork more than usual ? " I gave it up, 
and entered into the general conversation, until I was 
summoned up-stairs, and was met by a " provoked " 
doctor, who told me that my wife would probably have 
pneumonia, as one of the results of that miserably 
" economical " church. " Your wife," he said, " is to be 
kept quiet, and must not have visitors. I emphasize 
this, for I found Miss Oley here interesting your wife in 
some new scheme or other. More than likely it was 



A WET-NURSE. 



6 9 



that new Nursery which is crazing the women about 
here. It may not have been, but I saw how weak Mrs. 
Matthews was, and spoke, I'm afraid, rather sharply 
about ' visitors,' for Miss Oley left the room suddenly. 
The fact is, Matthews, it's all Nursery, Nursery, and 
half of the originators know less what are the needs of 
children than the average of nurse girls. If this trouble 
with your wife turns out to be pneumonia, you will have 
to procure a wet-nurse ; so be on the look-out for one, 
for it may not do for the baby to continue to nurse." 

A wet-nurse ; more expense ; another strange person in 
the house ; well, I suppose it must be ; and after the guests 
had gone, I dropped into an easy-chair, where I must have 
fallen asleep, for when I looked at the clock — that never 
seemed to have any cares, but always methodically 
"ticked" away its life — it was 2 A. M., and I had thought 
over a good part of my life. I must have dreamed, for 
the rapidly succeeding thoughts and dissolving views that 
had been so real, could only have been produced in the 
dream state of sleep : oatmeal, flannel, Miss Oley's dis- 
like of the doctor ; Barnaby's knowledge of health ; 
Jones hiring a nurse girl when he could not afford to ; 
our baby and its wet-nurse — and I awoke — and then and 
there planned out a scheme for procuring a wet-nurse. 



Chapter VI. 



WANTED — A WET NURSE. 



MUST confess that now, at the end of six weeks' 
experience with a baby, I was not convinced that 
raising one was always such an easy matter as some 
of my friends believed it to be, or, at least, professed 
to. One day John seemed to thrive, but the next 
he drooped. At one time Lena was bright and hope- 
ful, while at another she was despondent. Having 
read carefully the books loaned me by Doctor Lyons, 
it did not add to my peace of mind, to possess the 
knowledge that much of the drooping and despon- 
dency might have been prevented had we done " so 
and so," or followed this or that plan. 

Enough for me to know that there had been plenty 
of worry, various misunderstandings, considerable 
expense, and, in spite of all, nursing was really to be 
desisted from, at least by the mother, The doctor 
had called the morning after the christening, and pro- 
nounced the disease pneumonia. He did not believe, 



ADVERTISEMENTS. Jl 

undor the circumstances — no matter how soon Lena 
might recover — that she ought to continue nursing. 

How the baby was to be fed, then, became a mat- 
ter of the deepest interest. I had already decided, in 
my own mind, that a wet nurse should be had. 
Mother agreed with me, while Mrs. Vincent urged 
the use of cow's milk, " if Mr. Matthews could be sure 
of the milk he would obtain ;" but as Mr. Matthews 
did not see the way clear toward a certainty, she re- 
luctantly agreed to have a wet-nurse, though Lena 
felt keenly averse to having any one act as a "foster- 
mother " to her baby. 

It was a ray of comfort to me, to feel that Lena 
would thrive and be herself again, if she recovered 
from her sickness, and as for our boy, it had become 
my duty, so it seemed, to hunt up a nurse. The doc- 
tor had to'd me to first answer advertisements, and 
had also instructed me somewhat as to the selection 
of a healthy, reliable woman. In addition, I had 
made good use of my medical books, and felt that I 
was quite competent to conduct a search in pursuit 
of a wet-nurse. So I cut out the following adver , 
tisements from the day's New York Herald and put 
them in my note-book. 



72 TAKE YOUR CHOICE. 

Wanted. — A situation by a respectable woman, as 
wet-nurse. Call at No. 207 Avenue B, and inquire 
for Mrs. Malone, in the store, 

Wanted. — A healthy, trusty woman would like a 
situation as wet-nurse ; understands dry feeding. Can 
be seen at Mrs. Sand's, 52 Sixtieth Street. 

Wanted. — By a perfectly reliable woman, a situa- 
tion as wet-nurse. A pleasant home more of an ob- 
ject than wages. Mrs. Badall, 20 East Twenty-eight 
Street. 

On the opposite page of my book were placed the 
items to the necessary qualifications in such a nurse 
as the advertisements pointed out. These necessary 
points had been taken from a standard medical work 
and were to be a guide in my operations, 

They were as follows • 

" She should be between twenty and thirty years 
of age, the mother of at least two children. She 
should be healthy, with body well nourished. Her 
teeth should be sound. Ther should be no blood 
disease, as scrofula or consumption. The family 
history should be free from any trace of insanity. 
Her children should be healthy, and if she is nursing 
a child, it should show the effects of good nourish, 
ment. Her moral character should be good. She 
ought to be even-tempered — not given to outbursts 



MRS. MALONE. .73 



cf anger. She ought not to be easily excited. She 
should be cleanly, temperate in her eating and 
drinking, willing and obliging. The milk under the 
microscope should show the following " 

Here I ceased to copy, believing that I had suffi- 
cient information to enable me to succeed in my 
undertaking. With the advertisements and the list 
of qualifications, I started out, and visited Mrs. 
M alone first. My early visit — for I left my house 
soon after breakfast — seemed to flurry the fat, good 
natured proprietor of the candy-store, No. 207 
Avenue B, near Public School No. 25. I mention 
the fact that the store was near a school, for the rea- 
son that I have learned since, in the years following 
thai: visit, that near many of our schools are similar 
shops, where school-children do congregate at recess 
time to eat poor candy, and where, by the crowding 
in of the children, and the very nature of the place, 
contagious diseases are spread abroad. 

It was a miserable shop, cramped and dirty. Be- 
hind it was the one small and dirty sitting, dining and 
bed-room combined. In this room sat Mrs. Malone. 
Evidently she had just risen from her night's sleep. 
What she might have looked like and how favorably 



74 " BABY FARMING/' 

she might have impressed me, had I called an hour or 
two later, I did not care to think about. Her big- 
baby in her arms showed that he had had sufficient 
food, but the dirt everywhere present, the general 
air of untidiness, and the sickening odor, due to the 
impure and confined air, dispelled any idea oi choos- 
ing the mother to care for my child. I have been 
told since then that the class of women represented 
by Mrs. Malone will rub off some of the dirt upon and 
about themselves, and tidy up somewhat, when em- 
ployers are expected, and that they do obtain situa- 
tions, the condition of their babies being their strong 
hand. Driven from a wretched home by drunken- 
ness or debt, they find refuge with friends, who al- 
low them to advertise from their own more respect- 
able quarters, and to stay till a situation is obtained. 
Then they pay part of their wages to the hostess, or 
the whole even, if the friends take charge of their 
babies. Thus u baby-farming " is begun. The escape 
from such a house and surroundings caused me to en 
joy, more than I had hitherto, the pleasantly warm 
and healthful air of the outer world. 

I then hurried to Sixtieth Street, easily found Mrs. 
Sands, who proved to be the wife of the janitor oi a 



APPEARANCES. 75 



tenement house. I stated my errand, was asked to 
be seated till she ascertained whether Mrs. Hughes 
was in. She came back and soon a sharp voice was 
heard from the upper regions, inviting " the gentle- 
man up.'' I went up one flight of stairs, found a 
door open, and the head of a female protruding from 
it 

" Do you wish to see Mrs. Hughes?" said the same 
voice, 

u I wished to see tne person who put this adver- 
tisement in the paper," I replied. 

" Well, then, /am Mrs. Hughes, and will you walk 
in, sir?" 

The impression I had at the time was, that the 
woman had not expected an employer to come, but 
was on tfee lookout for a messenger to summon her 
to some lady's house. Finding that an employer 
had come, she became very talkative, entered into a 
somewhat detailed history of her family, its pleasures 
as well as its pains. While she was thus engaged, I 
had an opportunity to glance about he room and to 
study the woman. By the time she was through, I 
had concluded that she was healthy and strong, had 
good teeth, was cleanly in her dress, and was proba- 



'/6 "WAYS THAT ARE DARK." 



bly free from any hereditary disease, if x could judge 
of such a point by the robust appearance of several 
children running in and out of the room, who, she 
i lid, belonged to her. So absorbed had f been in 
the study of my " qualifications,'* to which I referred 
from time to tune, that I had not noticed that there 
was no infant in the room. Desiring t( see the baby, 
she said she would go after it, for it had been left for 
a little while with a neighbor across the hall. 

Back she came with a splendid specimen of a child. 
As Mrs. Hughes was healthy and clean, and had 
raised such a fine specimen of a baby, she would be 
just the woman for us, I thought. So I put my book 
in my pocket and was about to make some arrange- 
ment toward engaging the woman, when a remark 
from one of the children led me to question Mrs. H. 
as to the age of the baby in her arms. A little cross- 
examination confounded the woman, and I soon 
found that the child was not hers. Crossing over to 
her neighbor's, on the other side of the hallway, 
there I found the real mother of the baby, and a 
little, puny, weazen-faced, dry-skinned apology for 
an infant, which belonged to the Hughes family. 
The (i obliging neighbor " had only done a " little 



"TRICKS THAT ARE VAIN.* 77 

kindness in changing babies/' as Mrs. H. said. Here, 
then, was a large, strong woman, who failed in bring- 
ing up a baby by nursing. No one knows how many 
times she had failed before, for her own children had 
died early, she said, of spasms, and cholera infantum. 
The children, then, that I had seen about the room, 
were her husband's, and yet this woman wished to 
impose herself on some confiding mother and child. 

No wonder, then, that she had thought it best, to 
attempt to mderstand fi dry feeding," whatever that 
might be. 

There was but one place left for me now to go to. 
This business of hunting up a wet-nurse had about 
exhausted me physically. Certainly I was disgusted 
with squalor and deception. It was pleasant, there- 
fore, to find that the next advertisement on my list 
had come from a respectable person, in a respectable 
neighborhood in Twenty-eighth Street. Mrs. Badall 
proved to be a woman who would answer to all 
necessary lC qualifications " as far as / could see, ex- 
cept that she h&d no baby to show me, for the little 
one had just died one week before from sudden con- 
vulsions. She was a very agreeable person to talk 
to, had had such a sad experience with her own 



78 MRS. VINCENT PROPHESIES. 

baby, and was so anxious to find a home for a short 
time, in order to relieve her husband of the expenses 
of housekeeping while he was idle; and then she 
was so warmly endorsed by Mrs. Whaley, the land- 
lady, that I agreed to employ her, if, after a week's 
trial, everything was satisfactory. She was to re- 
ceive twenty-five dollars a month. Within twenty- 
four hours Mrs. Badall was installed as wet-nurse. 
The services of Mrs. Lawrence were now dispensed 
with, and the care of Lena in her illness devolved 
upon our two mothers. Through their untiring care 
and Doctor Lyons' skill, at the end of two weeks my 
wife was quite like her old self again. 

It was strange that when our mothers were caring 
for Lena, nothing seemed to ruffle them, but intro- 
duce the subject of the " care of babies," and almost 
instantly there were strongly expressed differences 
of opinion. My mother pointed with joy to the 
thriving condition of our boy under Mrs. BadalPs 
care. Mrs. Vincent prophesied that something 
" would yet turn up wrong with the. woman. She 
had never known much good to come from wet- 
nurses. 5 ' The infant certainly was improved in health 
and temper. The nurse seemed devoted to him, and 



BREAKERS AHEAD. 79 

the little fellow already clung to her in preference to 
his mother. 

For three weeks all went on well. During the 
fourth, as our mothers, Lena and I, sat in our cozy 
sitting-room one evenings sounds of loud talking pro- 
ceeded from down stairs. On inquiry it was found 
that Mr. Badall had called in a state of intoxication, 
and demanded that he should see his wife. Our 
nurse was completely overcome, and had a hysteri- 
cal fit. In the night I was hastily summoned to see 
the baby. There he was with a hot skin, with eye- 
lids twitching occasionlly. He was very nervous 
and very irritable. Toward morning he seemed 
better. We all noticed that our nurse did not seem 
as cheerful after her husband's visit as before, that 
she was easily excited, that little things nettled her. 
The boy, too, became irritable. For three consecu- 
tive nights was I up, nearly all the time trying to 
quiet or relieve some one or other of the family. 

Pity for the nurse and our baby had unnerved for 
the time the members of my family. Hence it was. 
that I endeavored, with a m jdicfne-book and a case 
of medicinal pellets, to ward off the visits of even 
mr good doctor, for such visits were costly, and I 



8o WANTED — A PARTNER. 



had already paid out more money than my salary 
would safely allow ; but the " night-work " was telling 
on me. 

It is not agreeable either to be roused from sleep 
to " mix poultices/' to make catnip tea, or to lug 
upstairs earthen bottles full of boiling water. My 
only wish was that there might be another man in 
the house to whom could be committed a share of 
this work, or who would perform the whole of it. 
The pellets, poultices, etc., not acting with sufficient 
power to arouse the nurse, the doctor had to be sent 
for. 

u Well," he said, after listening to my vivid descrip- 
tion of what had befallen us, " you have had a tough 
time of it Matthews, but it will not do to keep Mrs. 
Badall. If she is so easily disturbed, there is no 
knowing what may happen to your boy. Perhaps 
her own child died from convulsions brought on after 
some row with her husband. Such things have hap- 
pened, and will occur again. She is not a safe 
•woman. We must try another nurse. Now, this 
time don't answer advertisements, but advertise and 
send the women to me, or, better still, let me adver- 
tise. Then, if we don't succeed, you can try the va* 



MORE ADVERTISING. 8 1 

rious wet-nurse agencies and public institutions. Get 
an American or Englishwoman if you can, but I don't 
believe you will find one. They won't nurse other 
children than their own, as a rule> even if the highest 
wages are paid.'* 

So the nurse was sent away, and in the evening 
paper appeared the following advertisements : 

Wanted. — At No. 264 Tenth Street, an honest, re- 
liable, healthy and even-tempered wet-nurse. She 
must be well recommended, and must not be peculiar. 
None others need apply. 

Wanted. — By Doctor Lyons, a wet-nurse. Office 
hours, 8 to 10 a.m. 4 to 6 p.ivt. 



Chapter VII. 



ON THE TRAIL. 



"Y^THEN Lena saw our advertisements in the paper, 
she rated me for the wording of mine, saying, 
" Rob, no woman will ever answer such an advertis- 
ment as yours. You ask too much. Don't you remem- 
ber your experience at the intelligence office, dear?" 
I did remember going to the oftice, asking for a do- 
mestic, and having one sent to me. When I asked 
her if she drank, she replied, " ^jrink, is it ; shure 
and I do, both tay anc ^atay, and if yer want a 
woman that don't drink, yerll not be after findin' 
her here." Now, I did no' mean to insult the ser- 
vant — only hoped to get some information, and to be 
sure of a sober person ; bu' it was some little time, 
that day, before a woman could be prevailed on to go 
with me. 

As no person did appear in answer to my adver- 
tisement, save a tall, scrawny-looking female, my 
faith in my wife's common sense and tact was in* 



"want to buy a goat." 83 

creased. Th:s ta.* woman bore the appearance of 
having seen better days, but there was a certain in- 
definable air of laziness about her that would not al- 
low me to employ her, though she had the best of 
recommendations. Testimonials as to character are 
only valuable, I have found, when they are given by 
persons who are not in the habit of writing them. 
Her letters had come either irom enthusiastic, pity- 
ing people, or I did not appreciate all the good quali- 
ties bound up in the listless woman before me. At 
any rate, so disgusted was I in my efforts to procure 
a wet-nurse, that I resolved to let the selection rest 
with the doctor ; so I notified him of that conclusion, 
and went to business, fully determined to throw my- 
self into work, and forget home cares. 

I should have succeeded had not Salter -plied me 
with questions about wet-nurses, and bringing up 
babies. u Say Bob, don't you want a goat ? I know 
where you can buy one cheap. Perhaps you wish a 
cow. Can get you one, if you like." Then there 
would be a rest of a few moments, in which I endeav- 
ored to apply myself to accounts. " Bob, now that I 
think of it, there is a new baby-food in the market, 
which might answer. It has a long Greek name to 



84 THE PICTURE ON THE WRAPPER. 

it, which I can't remember, but that don't make any 
difference. All of them, nearly (so the druggists say), 
have such names, or try to have. Then, there is a 
picture on the wrapper — of some baby that has 
been fed on the food. Believe that would just suit 
you ; suppose you try it ? If you really want a reli- 
able wet-nurse, there is Mrs. Flynn's stepdaughter," 
etc., etc. 

I was fully satisfied with my hunt for wet-nurses, 
and did not relish the suggestion by Doctor Lyons, 
that evening, of our starting out together to visit 
agencies and institutions the following morning. But 
remembering that the next day would be a holiday, 
and that, after all, there was nothing like learning 
about people and things, I agreed. The answers to 
the doctors advertisement had not pleased him, 
so he decided to devote some time to the proposed 
visit. 

" The fact is," said Doctor L — , " that I generally 
resort to artificial feeding where there is so much 
difficulty in procuring a wet-nurse, as in your case, 
but it must be the right sort of feeding ; so it hap- 
pens that I seldom go after a wet-nurse. We will 
first visit the agencies — if there are any — for it is sup- 



MRS. QUIRK'S AGENCY. 85 

posed by many that just what we want we can find 
there. My impression is, that there are but few 
agencies for the procuring of nurses in the United 
States, and that, as yet ? there is no real systematic ef- 
fort to furnish the persons most needing nurses with 
just the right kind of women. There are many relia- 
ble but poor mothers, who might and ought to earn 
sufficient money by wet-nursing the children of their 
well-to-do neighbors to provide quite nicely for the 
wants of their own little families. In the country, or 
in small towns where wet-nursing may have to be re- 
sorted to, neighbors are quite often made use of. In 
our cities we are subjected to impositions in various 
ways. It is a pity that we cannot prevail on more of 
these poor and reliable mothers to take care of our 
children— even if they came every morning to our 
homes and'left every night.'* 

As the doctor was talking we arrived at Mrs. 
Quirk's agency, 620 Second Avenue. The rooms 
occupied by Mrs. Quirk and her nurses were on the 
lowest floor of an old-fashioi ed brick house. They 
were dark. The ceilings were so low that a medium 
sized man might reach them by standing on tip-toe. 
In the front room, at one end, was Mrs. Quirk's desk, 



86 MRS. QUIRK. 



books of account, and for registry. The furniture of 
the room was made up of unfortunate chairs and set- 
tees — here an arm missing, there a piece of a leg 
spliced to its old companion piece. Around the walls 
were signs and notices, wrought out by various per- 
sons undoubtedly, on different colored paper, in vari- 
ous shades of divers colors. One informed us that 
" Nurses of all nationalities can be procured here ; 
also servants, waiters, coachmen," etc., etc., etc. 
Another proclaimed that " Wet-nurses are always on 
hand. Special attention paid to procuring reliable, 
trusty women. Physicians and others can put im 
plicit faith in the nurses obtained here." A third 
notice, emphasized in very large black letters, on a 
white card, that " this agency has no connection what 
ever with Mr. Seville's ;'' that u it is the only reliable 
wet-nurse agency in the city." 

Mrs. Quirk — a woman of medium height, with a 
dumpish figure, covered with a dirty calico gown — 
received the doctor and myself with a bow and a 
cordiai shaking of hands, which meant business with 
every shake. 

Alter stating that for five dollars she would fur- 
nish wet nurses, if necessary, for three months, and 



SPOON FEED. 87 



after having enlarged on the advantages she possessed 
for obtaining the best of women from institutions, 
and on her superior class of customers from Fifth 
Avenue and Madison Avenue, as compared with Mr. 
Seville's " trades-people," she ushered us into the 
back-room. 

There seated were women of all ages, so it seemed 
to me at first glance, but a second look and and in- 
quiry of Mrs. Quirk convinced me that none were 
over forty years of age, though they were careworn. 
The majority, so I learned, were unmarried woman 
with children. There were mothers there who could 
not have been over seventeen years of age, many of 
good parentage, all trying to obtain positions in order 
to support themselves and their babies. Mrs. Quirk 
informed me that when the nurses obtain places, their 
own babies are cared for in institutions for children, 
or by women who take children to ' spoon feed/ 
The doctor remarked " that babies cared for by such 
women, with their meagre knowledge of a baby's na- 
ture and of the right kind and mode of feeding, must 
die in large numbers/' 

" Oh, no, doctor," said Mrs. Quirk, in a remonstra- 
tive tone of voice, " you ought to see how healthy 



88 ".\TX, SORTS/ 



they are. Of course come die, but only with Summer 
troupes, 3 * 

Out came my -note-book, and in it I made a 
memorandum of a proposed visit to one of these 
" baby-farming '' establishments. By this time in our 
baby's life I had begun to feel that I had learned 
something. 

Passing along the line of waiting woman, the doc- 
tor and Mrs. Quirk asked questions and took obser- 
vations. There was a young, timid mother — a mere 
girl in appearance — but bearing the stamp of a good 
family. One was coarse-skinned, vulgar in appear- 
ance, dirty in dress. Another had the thin skin and 
reddish hair so indicative of a sensitive organization. 
By her side sat the embodiment of keen prejudices 
and quick temper, in her flashing dark eyes and her 
darker hair. The muscular type of woman was there 
as well as the flabby, lymphatic one. There were 
all sorts of women, with all sorts of ideas, except the 
right ones — none could come up to the standard of 
my " qualifications/' and, as the doctor was not satis- 
fied, we called at Mr. Seville's. Like some other 
French (?) establishments in our large cities, Seville's 
was an American one. The only signs of French 



A MODEL AGENCY. 8q 

about the place were seen in a sign which announced 
the fact that " we speak French here/ 5 and in a 
woman attendant who evidently did all the talking 
that was done on Seville's side. Seville himself was 
an enterprising American, and so was his wife. 
There was none of the darkness, fussiness and mussi- 
ness here that was seen at Mrs. Quirk's. Everything 
was clean. The proprietor understood how to reach 
the eye and ear, as well as the nose, of the average 
citizen. 

His notices were uniform as to size and color. His 
furniture was well adapted to its uses. The women 
in his agency were required to be cleanly dressed, as 
long as they were in his rooms. He and his wife un- 
derstood fully the value of white linen caps and aprons 
in hiding defects and deficiencies, and in giving to 
the decidedly Irish face and figure an appearance 
similar to the French bonnes. 

Mrs. Quirk had derisively spoken of his place as 
the trade-peoples'. So it was, but it also had the 
patronage of the wealthy. His little artifices to 
gain the patronage of any one needing a servant or 
a nurse had proved wonderfully successfully in spite 
of Mrs. Quirk. The clerk on a small salary, the 



90 " ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT." 

tradesman in. a small way, the man of moderate in- 
come and the wealthy, were sure to consult Monsieur 
Seville before obtaining a wet-nurse. And yet Doc- 
tor Lyons pointed out to me the same class of women 
that we had seen at Mrs. Quirk's. It was ascertained 
that the same fee was asked as at Mrs. Quirk's ; that 
the women were obtained from the same sources, 
except, perhaps, that this agency, being considered 
by people at large a little more " respectable," 
there were few of the poor but reliable married 
women present, of whom Doctor Lyons had already 
spoken. With all the outside show, and the air of 
business respectability, a thorough examination by 
the doctor could not elicit from the proprietors any 
reliable information as to any such systematic records 
and plans of work done or to be accomplished as 
would satisfy any thorough person. 

a There is yet room for improvement," said the 
doctor, " and it is strange that our philanthropic 
women have not seen the need of a well planned sys- 
tem for the supply of proper wet-nurses. I under- 
stand that there is still another agency, managed ex- 
clusively by ladies ; let us go there. Then we can 
visit a few of the institutions, and thus decide upon a 



THEIR PLAN. 



selection of a nurse. Perhaps this society — agency 
as it is called — controlled by ladies, may prove, after 
all, just the one/ 5 

We called there, and found three lady-like business- 
women in charge. Everything was neat and in order. 
Their plan was not to have the nurses at their rooms, 
but to keep a list of names and residences, and to 
send for the women when needed, or to send the pro- 
posed employers to their respective homes. As to 
any clear record of the ability of the woman to care 
for babies properly, of the character, health present 
and previous, or any necessary qualification, there 
was none. When asked whether there was any med- 
ical supervision of the nurses, one of the ladies replied 
" that they did have a doctor whenever it was neces- 
sary, but she did not think it was necessary." 

Doctor Lyons then urged the importance of having 
every woman examined by a careful physician. 

'* I well remember," he said, " how anxious a 
wealthy patient of mine was to procure a suitable 
nurse. For several days all sorts of efforts were 
made to obtain one that would answer. Several were 

tried and discharged. Finally, Mr. H announced 

with great satisfaction, that he had found c just the 



92 SUMMING UP.' 



one.' A carriage was sent over to Brooklyn, and the 
nurse was brought to my office. She was in appar- 
ent good health— just the right age— just the person, 
except that I discovered upon her chest an eruption, 
which told of a blood-poison which must not be com- 
municated to the child of Mr. H. I might relate sev- 
eral cases which go to show the importance of care 
in selection ; but as Mr. Matthews and myself must 
hasten, I bid you good day," Armed with cards of 
admission, we then called at the Institutions— the 
Muncipal Hospital, St. Anthony's Retreat, and vari- 
ous homes and asylums. In some, the officers were 
gruff, disobliging and pompous. In others they were 
obsequious even to a disagreeable degree. At one 
" home " a lady-manager present spoke warmly in 
behalf of a young woman. We ascertained afterward 
that the bright side of the picture only had been 
shown us, so anxious was the lady to procure a situa- 
tion for the one she was interested in. In fact, we 
learned several things that day which may thus be 
summed up : 

First, that if one expects to procure a nurse, he or 
she must have tact and common sense. Second, all is 
not reliable that is said to be. Third, when there is 
reliability, there may not be suitability. 



FOR " BABY'S SAKE. 93 

It was quite dark when I arrived home that even- 
ing, and soon after me came Sarah, the nurse chosen 
at one of the private institutions. 

" We will make a trial or two, more" said the 
doctor, and we did. This Sardi was tall, healthy, 
clean and lady-like, but the one mistake ior us was, 
her possession of an immense appetite. Nothing 
seemed to fully satisfy ner. Bowls of gruel, tea, 
chocolate and broma — plates full of vegetables and 
meat were disposed of, and all for " the dear baby's 
sake.'' 

The little fellow did thrive, but the butcher's and 
grocer's bills were enlarging. Some of my readers 
may have met with such a mammoth eater, and can 
fully appreciate the difficulty we labored under. 
Salter suggested that I had better buy a cow and feed 
the nurse plenty of milk. " It will be economy in the 
end, Bob ; you may depend on it." Little by little our 
nurse became more exacting, and astonished my wife 
by giving orders to the domestic as to what she 
wished for her meals. To discharge the nurse and 
feed the baby, or to take her by herself and admonish, 
as a father only can, was now a question to be 
settled. 



Chapter VIII. 



REPORTS PROGRESS. 



^pO MEET the emergency now presented was not 
easy. One might speak of dress, and even of man- 
ners, but to suggest that an employee should eat less 
savored of stinginess. For some time our mothers, 
Lena and I, argued as to the best method of ap- 
proaching the nurse on such a tender subject as her 
food. My wife dreaded a " scene," and it was surpris- 
ing how little Mrs. Vincent and my mother cared for 
a tongue-to-tongue encounter. 

The baby seemed to be doing so well that even 
Mrs. Vincent was unwilling to discharge the nurse. 
My mother did think it " a shame that she should eat 
so much,'' and so did we all, and after a warm discus- 
sion upon the subject, it was decided that Mrs. Vin- 
cent shou! 1 have a talk with Sarah. So, upon the 
next day, she was invited into the sitting-room. 

" Sarah/' said Mrs. V., believing in this instance, 
that it was best to be conciliatory, " the baby is doing 



MANEUVERING. 95 



very nicely — much better than I ever expected he 
would.' ' 

u Yes, ma'am, I know he is, and he is as fine a little 
fellow as ever you would find/' 

" But don't he pull you down,'' asked Mrs. Vincent, 
" he has grown so fat and heavy ?'' 

" Shure and he would, if I didn't have a good ap- 
petite, and can eat enough for the both of us. Don't 
I have to tell Kate in the kitchen not to make the tea 
so sloppy. The poor li' tie dear would never get fat 
on such weak stuff as that. If I wasn't all the time 
speaking to Kate about the victuals, I don't think Pd 
have a ha ? penny worth for the child. Savin' your 
presence, ma'am, when I nursed Mr. Judge O'Leary's 
baby, four years ago, I had my ale with the best of 
them, and now that you speak of it, a glass now and 
then would do the youngster a heap of good." 

" I did not speak of ale, Sarah, or of any spirituous 
drink, for I do not approve of such things. It was 
never intended that women should take such abom- 
inable stuff. I hope and trust Mr. Matthews will 
never consent to any such food as that for a nurse. 

Why, it would be the ruination " Here M$rs. 

Vincent, remembering that she had yet to talk calmly 



p6 ' DEFEATED. 



about food, regained her ordinary serenity. "Sarah 
you were speaking a few moments ago about eating. 
Don't you really think, my dear woman, that perhaps, 
after all, you eat too much food for your own good ? 
You know, sometimes a good deal of food will make 
people bilious, and I have noticed lately that your skin 
is not quite as clear as it was when you came to us. 
Perhaps, if you took a little less food than you do, 
you would feel brighter. You know you complain 
of a dull headache very often." 

" Yes, ma'am, I do have a headache once in a while, 
but it is not because I eat too much. When I was at 
home, my ould mother used to say I ate lightly, 
and would I now eat smaller than that? I couldn't 
do it, ma'am — the baby would starve." 

So Mrs. Vincent retired, defeated, and after a couple 
of days it was thought best that Lena should try her 
powers of persuasion. 

Sarah had begun now to be suspicious, and was 
qrite prepared for any assault, so that when my wife, 
in the kindest manner possible, suggested that it 
might be better for us if Sarah kept out of the kitchen 
and took her meals when the family did theirs, she 
was answered with: 



NURSE THREATENS. 97 

"Do you think, Mrs. Matthews, that 1 came here 
to starve your baby and myself? All of you want a 
fat baby, and you want the nurse of it to live like the 
rest of you, who don't have a baby to nurse. The 
best thing for the whole of us is to get another 
woman to take care of the boy, and I'd better go 
now." 

At the mention of the baby's being left to pass 
through similar tribulations to those imposed after the 
departure of Mrs. Badall, my wife burst into tears. 
She was soon followed by Sarah, who declared " that 
going would break her heart, just as she loved the lit- 
tle darlin', and he would mourn for her ; but then it 
would be best." 

Lena could not say anything further. The result 
was that Sarah staid on. She ate at regular times 
now, but the times were quite often, and we could 
not see that any less food was consumed than before. 
Whenever any hint was broached as to the food, 
Sarah took it up and proposed to leave. So it hap- 
pened that affairs remained in this way for one month 
longer, when we were again called upon to meet an 
emergency. Baby had of late been cross, and cried 
vory often. Even at night we heard his short, fretful 



98 mrs. Vincent's opinion. 

cries, with occasionally a long one, indicative, so the 
books said, of pain or hunger. Believing that a 
pin might be pricking, or a pain griping, the boy re- 
ceived from his grandmothers various robbings, and 
a number of the usual home remedies, to be applied 
internally, externally, and it seemed to me, eternal!}' ; 
but the relief was only temporary c Mrs, Vincent, on 
the lookout for disturbing causes, finally gave it as 
ner opinion that the baby wasn't getting sufficient 
food ; that she believed the nurse's milk was failing. 
And so it was. Again was Doctor Lyons appealed 
to to help our baby. 

He first advised that the nurse should be dis- 
charged : 

a She would not change her ideas as to eating, 
and in proportion as she grows fat and large, just 
in that proportion will the secretions diminish proba- 
bly Your experience, Mr Matthews, with nurses 
has already taupht you that the largest, finest-looking 
women may not be best adapted to care for children. 
WomfeE who get insufficient food may not be able to 

irse, and the same with those who use too much e 
6 women, with an excess of fat and musciec 



DECEPTION AND TRICKERY. 99 



women with an excess of nervous development, may 
not be able to feed naturally. The trouble with this 
last nurse of yours has been that she has been add- 
ing to the size of her own body at the expense of 
the secretions. Probably at home she did eat 
lightly, as she says, but it was because she had but 
little to eat, or did not have a variety of food. When 
she came to you, she did as she probably was ac~ 
customed to do at Judge O'Leary's she speaks about 
— that is, gormandize. You can see, Matthews, by 
this time, some of the trials we have with nurses. 
Occasionally we do find excellent women — mentally 
and physically — but they are exceptions Bear in 
mind the class of women we saw at the agencies 
and institutions, many of them already broken-down 
in health and spirits, entirely unfit to care for any 
childo Some absolutely so diseased that their toucli 
was contamination. Look at the deception and 
trickery practiced in private as well as public insti° 
tutions! Think of the carelessness and negligence 
everywhere apparent — the struggle for employment 
and money, without regard for truthfulness or the 
good of the employer — and do you wonder that 



100 THE AVERAGE WET-NURSE. 

ladies are continuaFy deceived as t3 their nurses? 
The average nurse believes that she must have ale 
or lager- beer ; these drinks may be of service with 
some women at certain times, but plenty of cow's 
milk, nourishing soups and broths, are better. A re- 
liable extract of malt is more serviceable than any 
malt liquor. The average wet-nurse is a peculiar 
character, well worthy to be the object of the de- 
scriptive powers of a Dickens, but Mrs. Matthews, 
we must decide as to the baby. Sarah will not take 
any steps toward following out any plan by which 
she might regain lost ground, so she must leave. 
To-morrow I will send you a very nice woman, who 
may be able to stay with you through the day and 
care for the baby, and you will have to look out for 
it at night by feeding. The boy is getting to be 
narjrly five months old now, and will stand it, I 
hope \\ e rrjght feed him entirely, to be sure, if 
everybody was caielul, but the warm weather is 
coming, and it may be well 10 have nursing to fall 
back upon. This Mrs. Leonard is a very respect- 
able American woman, with a baby som. three 
months older than yours. But that, I hope, will 
make no difference. She can have her baby fed in 
the daytime." 



BABY S PERVERSITY. 101 



Mrs. Leonard came, and in every way she an- 
swered our purpose. We could find no fault, but 
what can I say as to the nights ? Before this I had 
had but little to do with baby at night. Now 1 was 
forced by circumstances to attend to him. He would 
have fits of crying, or, in the middle of the night, 
would lie on his back, wide awake, crowing and 
laughing. 

The light had been kept burning for his especial 
benefit, but he cried just the same. It was my duty 
—planned out by our good mothers — to turn up or 
down the light as it became necessary, to attend to 
the heating of flannels whenever needed, to warm the 
catnip, to take my turn at hushing the baby — in fact, 
to do just what they would have done were. they in 
my place, in my room. 

One night, in turning down the light, it went out, 
and before I could find a match to relight the gas, 
the boy had calmed down and gone to sleep. Quite 
often the light went out after this, and generally 
with the same result. Mrs. Percy, hearing of this 
incident, gave it as her experience that " a light was 
entirely .unnecessary ;" for, except with her first 
baby for a while, they never had one at night. Mrs.. 
Lazelle couldn t get along without one. 



102 CUTTING TEETH. 



Just about one week after Mrs. Leonard's arrival, 
the little fellow seemed to be unusually troublesome. 
Our good-hearted servant knew " it was the teeth 
that was at him." The rest of the family eagerly 
indorsed Kate's opinion, and then did I find that the 
first tooth was as anxiously watched for as the first 
baby itself is. From the tossing and rolling of the 
head, from an occasional heat of skin, on account of 
" druling," from the fact that the baby munched his 
nurse's fingers as well as the fingers of any one in 
reach — because he eagerly grasped anything avail- 
able, and put it, if possible, into his capacious little 
mouth — u he was cutting his tooth." 

Well, I can only say that babies choose very in- 
opportune times for such things. Had he decided 
to do all thi when we had a nurse, well and good, 
but to pick out this especial time, when I was in 
charge, was not fair ; so I appealed to the grand- 
mothers, and they took my place, while I occupied 
the room up-stairs ; but the teeth didn't come 
through till fully six weeks from that time, and then 
only one little solitary tooth made its appearance, as 
if it was afraid to intrude. 

This six weeks had been time enough for an im- 



THE FIRST TOOTH* I03 



mense amount of speculation as to the number oi 
teeth that would come, time enough for the friends 
in the neighborhood to pour into mj wife's ears the 
details as to the cutting of all the teeth of all their 
children- Fortunately, our boy had not been trouble- 
some for the whole of the six weeks. For a few days 
he was restless, and the friends would suppose that 
the tooth was about to show itself, then he would 
calm down. This was repeated several times before 
the venturesome tooth appeared. This I found was 
the history of many teeth. 

After the tooth had really pushed its way through 
to the surface, it was shown with delight to many 
friends ; but Mrs. Lazelle couldn't help remarking 
that "her babies all cut their teeth before five months, 
and, in fact, one of them, Leonora, was as early as 
three months. ,, She failed to continue, as we thought 
she might, and show that, notwithstanding this early 
dentition, there were no poorer teeth in the neigh- 
borhood, perhaps, than those belonging to these very 
children of Mrs. Lazelle. 

The minister's wife went into ecstasies over the 
tooth, and while she dandled the baby, talked to it of 
its "tootsey-pootsey," whatever that might be. The 



104 AN "UNKNOWN TONGUE. 

ladies informed me afterward that that was baby- 
talk. It was well that I learned what it was, for I 
was doomed for some time to listen to just such talk 
from Mrs. Barnaby whenever she called, and as Mrs. 
Barnaby was rather looked upon by many of the 
church people as being about right, it was not sur- 
prising that Miss Denny occasionally let fall a word 
in this unknown tongue. Even the careful, educated 
Miss Oley, found herself at times checking herself. 
To this day I cannot see the sense of saying i4 day, 
day and ta, ta," when a baby is asked about going 
out for a walk, etc., but ladies evidently did then and 
still do. 

Mrs. Jones sterling good sense was 01 great use 
to us, whenever she had the time to give us a call and 
furnish us with some of her carefully wrought-out 
experience. She was an observing woman, who did 
not take everything for granted that she read or saw, 
and it was well that she did not, for the Crosstown 
Health Journal (so-called) was making its way into 
the various families connected with our church with 
amazing rapidity. Heading the list of subscribers 
was the name of Rev. Joseph A. Barnaby, D.D., and 
foremost in the ranks of its admirers was the reverend 



VISITING OUR NEIGHBORS. I05 



gentleman. So thoroughly was Mr. B. in accord 
with the vital questions of the day that he felt it to 
be necessary to thoroughly ground himseJ^in hygienic 
matters, as well as in theological and social problems, 
so he indorsed the Crosstown Journal. This he did 
the more readily as it was well understood that in a 
short time he would encourage the ladies in their 
efforts to establish a nursery, by the delivery of an 
address, full of facts and statistics showing the im- 
portance of a new institution for the care of the little 
ones. That many of his facts were to be taken from 
this Crosstown Journal was a strong advertisement 
for the magazine's agent, and he made good use 
of in 

My wife and I, determined to learn what we could 
about babies in general, and ours in particular, de- 
cided that we would, after all, get interested in this 
new nursery, that we would visit our neighbors at 
their homes and study out children there, that we 
would keep a well-managed diary of events ; so the 
following evening we called at Mrs. Lazelle's. 



Chapter IX. 

our neighbor's children 

^pHAT my readers may not imagine that the writer 
has branched off, for the time being, to describe his 
neighbors, with the purpose in view of abandoning 
his baby, I will state that the child gradually became 
accustomed to the last change, and seemed to do 
well. 

While he was doing well, Lena and I, now thor- 
oughly aroused to the importance of knowledge as 
well as theory in the care of children, could conceive 
of no better way of acquiring it than to visit the very 
people at their homes who had called upon us and 
given their experience for our use. Not that I be- 
lieve it is well to always proceed in this way ; but we 
had already read over most of the books loaned by 
Dr. Lyons ; had had, in a short time, quite a varied 
experience, so we thought ; and then we both of us 
believed that we had at least a little more common 
sense than the majority of young parents. 



MRS. LAZELLE'S "FOUR.' 



107 



It was our purpose, then, to try to procure, through 
the mistakes and experience of other people, material 
that would serve in the future for the perfect bringing 
up of our boy. 

You will remember that Mrs. Lazelle sadly claimed 
the ownership of four children, two boys and two 
girls — Gustavus, aged ten years ; Leonora, seven 
years ; Sophronia, five years ; and the " baby," Au- 
gustus, of three and a half years of age. 

When we arrived at the pretty little house, four 
doors down, at just half-past eight, p. m., these four 
individuals greeted us at the door in a boisterous 
and not very agreeable manner. It so happened 
that when the door-bell rang, the two children who 
were up-stairs managed, by sliding down the ban- 
ister, or with giant strides, to come in collision with 
the two who had emerged from the sitting-room, and 
were rushing to the door. The consequence was 
that a mass of wriggling humanity found itself at the 
door in due time. 

To quiet these lively members of the family was 
not easy, and so Mrs. Lazelle found it, as she en- 
deavored to welcome us ; but the welcome lost some 
of its force, as the lady's voice seemed but a whis- 



108 " SIXES AND. SEVENS." 

per amid the pervading din. Finally, by the help 
of the father, the various children were disposed of 
,for the time by being placed on chairs. Then, and 
not till then, had I an opportunity to look about me. 
From what I saw, and learned from outsiders after- 
ward, it appeared that the house had been built some 
twelve years before ; that it had been considered 
a neat, home-like residence — just such an one as 
a young couple would wish to begin their married 
life in. 

Little by little, additions had been built on. This 
room had been changed in shape, that one had been 
converted into a storeroom or closet. The first baby 
set Mrs. Lazelle to planning for an enlargement of 
quarters, and this desire for a change had seemed to 
enlarge, with every successive baby, till at the time of 
our visit, she was ready at any time to " better " her- 
self, as she called it. So it came to pass that, owing 
to this restless spirit, and the possession of a family, 
the household furniture was no longer " matched/' 
Ornamental articles were eitner sadly in need of re- 
pair, or were missing. Everything seemed to call 
aloud for somebody's care. At the time of her mar- 
riage. Mrs. Lazelle was young, pretty, proud and sen- 



"a dyspeptic baby." 109 

sitive, with just enough money on hand for her to im- 
agine that they might live comfortably, so the pleas- 
ant little house was built. 

Lazelle was an agreeable gentleman, of good char- 
acter, also possessed of some money ; fond of his wife, 
but rather liking his ease. 

As long as the honeymoon lasted without a baby, 
the little discrepancies whijh arise in most families 
were smoothed away. 

When Gustavus arrived, and after the first out- 
break of joy was over, Mr. and Mrs. Lazelle found 
that a babe in : . house migh be a well-spring of pleas- 
ure, if it had no lungs or apparatus of voice, for the 
little fellow was born dyspeptic, and was subject to 
pain and griping. . His mother was c'yspeptic before 
him, but whether dyspepsia can be hereditary, has 
not, I believe, been fully ascertained. Being a dys- 
peptic baby, and the mother being of a nervous tem- 
perament, and her milk not agreeing with the child, 
a cow was purchased, and a nurse procured to feed 
the child with the cow's milk. Now this nurse and 
Mrs. Lazelle had some views in common, viz., that 
an occasional dose of laxative medicine was good for 
a baby, and that when a baby cried, especially at 



IIO EFFECT OF " SLEEP DROPS." 

night, it was advisable to quiet it first by rocking 
and singing, and secondly by some soothing medicine 
or " sleep-drops," but as the medicine must always bo 
at hand, it came about that it was more often used, 
perhaps, than the first method was. Doctor Namen, 
the doctor of the well-to-do classes, the man of dig- 
nity and reputation, was, of course, the one present at 
the birth of the first babv, and after he had made his 
few necessary visits, he did not call. As the child was 
easily relieved of a pain or quieted into a sleep by the 
mapfic draught, it was seldom deemed necessary to 
send for the physician. When he was sent for, he 
looked with great composure upon the puny, scream- 
ing baby, and suggested in his low, impressive voice, 
* that it might be well to give the child a warm foot- 
bath, to rub his back a little, and to dilute his milk a 
trifle more. ,? The milk was diluted, the bath was 
given, and the back rubbed but the baby grew thin- 
ner and thinner, in spite of those attentions. When 
it had dwindled down into a marasmic infant and 
looked like an old man, with his dry and shriveled 
skin and its sunken eyes, then, and not till then, did 
Mrs. Lazelle see the importance of rousing herself. 
The first thing was to change the doctor, so Doctor 
Pearsall was called in 



A CATEGORY OF ILLS. !P 

This physician was a man of about forty years of 
*\ge, well fed, contented with himself and the way 
in which the world had used him. Starting in his 
professional career with some money and energy, 
he had prospered. Naturally of a more cheerful 
disposition than Doctor Namen, he had made his 
mark in a shorter time. His energy combined with 
a practice he had of leaving the carrying-out of de- 
tails to his patients, won him many friends among 
the female portion of the population. 

When he assumed the charge of the Lazelle baby 
his observations soon showed him that the child 
could not prosper as long as the food was not di- 
gested, and laxatives were alternated with medicines 
to induce sleep. These difficulties were pointed out, 
and directions written down ; but there the matter 
ended. The child thrived quite well, but was sub- 
ject to fits of indigestion and attacks of fever. Twice 
did it have convulsions, once measles, once chicken- 
pox, once bronchitis, etc., etc., for the list as given 
me by Mrs. L. was quite a long one. 

At ten years of age, wj found him tall, thin, full 
of nervous excitement, peevish and irritable. His 
every whim was gratified for fear that any opposi- 



112 TOO MUCH DOCTOR, 

tion might induce brain trouble, which had been 
known to oz present in some of his ancestors years 
before. His teeth were eroded and diseased, the 
result, as Doctor Lyons told me, of his frequent in- 
digestions and attacks of sickness ; and the doctor 
knew, for he too had attended this family. It was 
only for a short time, for Mrs. Lazelle, as she became 
more and more worried with her family cares, grew 
more and more exacting with every one but herself, 
so Doctors Namen, Pearsall, Lyons, Sawyer, Bowles 
and Belcher were tried each in turn ; but still the 
children did not develop and grow as those of Mrs. 
Jones did, who rarely had a physician in the house. 
These above-named doctors were different types of 
men, and represented at least two of the so-called 
medical systems or u pathies," and yet they were not 
able to accomplish much. What Mrs. Jones be- 
lieved was, that a mother's care was wanting. " Doc- 
tors are of no use," she said, " unless the mother will 
do as they say.'' That the mother was inefficient 
was shown during our visit, for though it was nearly 
nine o'clock, p.m., the little three year old Augustus, 
who should have been in bed, was wide awake, and, 
moreover, in his anxiety to get upon a chair, before 



" BUTTER SIDE DOWN." II3 

the descending hand of the father could reach him, 
had placed upon the sofa a piece of bread and butter, 
the butter-side being down. 

It was no unusual thing, so it seemed, to give the 
children something to eat before going to bed, though 
a hearty supper had been disposed of at seven o'clock. 
In fact Augustus, who awoke in the night, complain- 
ing of feeling " hungry," was supplied with some- 
thing. The first call in the morning and nearly the 
last at night was " something to eat," and so it had 
always been. The boy had grown to be fat, saucy, 
and given to destructiveness. In fact, he was over- 
fed, and, like the seal at the Aquarium, showed his 
gorging by a skin eruption on and about his face. 

Sophronia, who had lived with her grandmother 
in the country for a year or more, showed the effects 
of good, pure air and wholesome food, combined 
with an intelligent oversight in her more robust 
figure and better behavior than was apparent in her 
brothers and sister ; but by contact with the unruly 
members of the family, the girl was in danger of 
losing the good characteristics. Leonora, though she 
had cut her teeth at an early age, did not have many 
to boast of at seven years. A pale, sickly girl she 



114 A YOUNG TYRANT. 

■ * 

was, fond of pastry and sweets, and unwilling to 

touch such " stuff" as meat and vegetables. Twice 
bad the effort been made to send her to school, but 
each time she had returned home with a headache. 
The last time roused her father into looking into the 
condition of the school, and when he found that over 
sixty children were crowded into a mere closet, it 
seemed to him, even with his easy-going nature, 
necessary to do something, so the child was kept out 
of school, and she was sickly — deficient in mind and 
muscle. It was a question with Lena and myself 
whether such a specimen of humanity could stand th<? 
ordinary wear and tear even of an ordinary school 
let alone the impurities and bad results of over 
crowding, which arise in some of our schools. Gus- 
tavus went to school whenever he felt like it. Some- 
times Augustus would be allowed to go with his 
brother, but as surely as he did there was trouble. 
He would eat his brother's lunch, or burst into cry- 
ing because he could not have what he wanted. At 
home he ruled the servants, and demanded pennies 
of them, which they gave in order to be on good 
terms with one who had such influence with Mrs. 
Lazelle. 



"ANYTHING FOR PEACE." 115 

To control such a quartet as this must be difficult, 

:! so evidently did the parents believe. You will 

ay, my readers, that the children were spoiled 

o they were ; but you will find many a spoiled child 

in many a family. 

The father and mother that evening were the pic- 
tures of distress. Between the anxiety to have the 
children behave well, and the inability to control 
t^cra, our visit was not as pleasant as it might have 
been. At half-past nine Augustus was carried off 
to bed by the up-stairs girl, screaming as he went. 
For just one-half hour Lad he been quiet, while 
Lena amused him by telling stories, letting him ex- 
amine her watch and play with her bead-chain. At 
the end of one hour afterward the remaining chil- 
dren were sent to bed, in the face of protests on their 
part. They had evidently discovered the arrange- 
ments made down-stairs for our entertainment, and 
insisted upon having something. Mr, Lazelle began 
by saying they must not eat at this time of night, 
and ended by giving what they wanted, in order, as 
he said, to have " peace in the house/' 

As we were enjoying in the dining-room the quiet 
'and fruit, far removed from the din and voracious 



Il6 "I TOLD YOU SO/ 



appetites which reigned up-stairs, Mr. Lazelle re- 
marked that he " was glad when the young ones had 
gone to bed, the little scamps had got to be so 
unruly." 

" Yes, my dear," said Mrs. L., " it's just what I told 
you when our second was born, if you didn't take 
hold, the children would go to destruction, and so 
they have. Any one knows that I have worked like 
a slave." 

" And didn't I furnish the money, Mrs. L., to run 
the house? And didn't I make all the changes you 
wanted? And haven't I been for the doctor at all 
times of the night, and always paid him ? Surely, 
you musn't blame me. If any one is to blame, pitch 
into the force of circumstances." 

Evidently, to our minds, this family did not appro- 
priate all the happiness, order and harmony which 
was in their reach, and we were not sorry to take 
our leave. We had learned enough to know that 
Mr. and Mrs. Lazelle did not pull well together in 
the traces ; that Mr. L, had given way to his wife in 
many things, and had failed to help her in others ; 
that she had, little by little, developed her fancies 
and oddities by practice ; that the various changes 



MRS. JONES' "SEVEN." 11/ 

had been made, and attemps at reform, which only 
rendered the children more and more uneasy. 

We believed that had these children belonged t( 
some decided sensible people, they would have been 
different. 

We felt reasonably assured, from a satisfaction in 
our own abilities, that we never should strike on the 
same rocks and be stranded ; and so the note-book 
registered that night determinations — first, to pull to- 
gether, and, secondly, to have our boy learn to mind. 

On the following Wednesday evening we called at 
Mrs. Jones'. 

Our insight into the workings of the Jones family 
"at home,'' was productive of good to us. Here 
were seven children, the oldest twelve years of age, 
the youngest one year. My impression before our 
visit had been that the Jones children must be per- 
fect. They wers undoubtedly the best children I 
had seen, but they had appetites and wills of their 
own which occasionlly asserted themselves in op- 
position to the parents' desires, though a gentle re- 
primand seldom failed to be understood. Not that 
Mr. and Mrs. Jones were harsh or severe, far from 
it; but they had learned how far the children might 



Il8 HER EXPERIENCE. 

be safely allowed to assert themselves I say learned 
for Mrs. Jones assured my wife " that it was very 
hard work to raise children properly/' 

" Before my marriage/' she continued, a it was a 
favorite idea of mine that I could raise a family as it 
should be raised, and that there was no necessity for 
me to stumble into the same pits that other people 
had, but when Tom was born he was such a crier 
that I was almost unstrung. His father then could 
not well afford to hire a nurse for me, and we never 
thought we ought to go to that expense since, so, 
with the first and the last baby mother has been with 
me, and only for a short time on each occasion, for 
she has a large family of her own and cannot easily 
leave her home so you see I have been compelled to 
fight it out alone. No, I ought not to say alone, for 
my dear husband has helped me in every way he 
could, but then he had to work so very hard to keep 
us clothed and fed, that when he comes home at night 
I do not feel like bothering him with complaints, and 
there is no use denying that I have felt almost dis- 
couraged at times. 

" Tom would go out w T ith a new clean suit on, and 
in a little while in he would come dirty, and / with a 



"GETTING SQUARE.'* II9 

large hole in his pants, perhaps. Susie, who ordin- 
arily is as gentle as a dove, gets very much ruffled 
occasionally, and especially when at school some 
girl tells her that her father is poor. Then there is 
Joe, who never has seemed to be afraid of anything 
or anybody. Nothing seems to give him as much 
satisfaction as ' getting square/ as he calls it, with 
some boy, either by going ahead of him in school, 
or by beating him at a game of marbles, or in wrest- 
ling, and this makes havoc with the clothes. He has 
fought once or twice, and I have been at a loss how 
to guide him in the right. I don't want him to be a 
coward or a bully. Fred hasn't gone to school yet, 
and is of service to me at home doing chores. He 
is a patient, lovable little fellow, but I am afraid he 
has not quite energy enough to push him on in the 
world. It will give him many hard knocks, and he 
may not be well prepared to meet them, for he is a 
timid boy, and not as strong as the others. Jessie 
seems to be a strong baby, and I hope will grow up 
to be a comfort. 

" You think I ought not to worry, Mrs. Matthews! 
I don't worry a great deal. It is the little things I 
have been telling you of that set me to thinking, for 



120 RESULT OF OVER STUDY. 

I must say that the children have no great faults. 
Ever since 1 have had children I have had to study 
and plan for them; and so it will be, I suppose, 
until they become men and women. If I relaxed 
my watchfulness, some mishap has been sure to hap- 
pen. Susie learns easily and is very bright ; so, of 
course, her teacher as well as her parents are proud 
of her. A year ago she was very anxious to pass ex- 
amination for a higher class I knew that she had a 
good many studies — more than I could master in 
twenty-four hours, or her teacher either, (for she told 
me that she had made the experiment, and failed); 
but I let her go on, against my judgment. She suc- 
ceeded, as she has been taught to endeavor to do, by 
persevering effort ; but the result was, that for a 
month or so afterward, she was so prostrated that we 
were compelled to send her away from the noise of 
the city, at a considerable expense to us. When they 
were babies I am sure, as I look back now, that we 
made many mistakes. I feel certain, too, that many 
times they might have been saved from pain, discom- 
fort and unhappiness if we had been watchful. 

" As I have already said, before marriage I believed 
that children could be brought up by a certain fixed 



THE u HERALD OF HEALTH. 121 

rule, but experience has taught me the importance of 
adapting myself to the necessities of the child. My 
children differ in dispositions, appetites and longings, 
and I cannot follow out exactly the same course with 
all of them. 

" This Herald of Healthy so highly indorsed by Mr. 
Barnaby and others, does not seem to me to be ex- 
actly what we want. Mr. B, is already shaping his 
ideas according to its teaching, and we may have 
trouble when the nursery is established, for I am con- 
fident that Mrs. Percy and Mrs. Bond, (who came so 
near losing her baby by st icking to one idea,) are ready 
to oppose it and all that it teaches." 

I could sympathize with Mrs. Jones' views, for I 
was captured at first by the ably written editorials, 
the striking physiological illustrations, the neat bind- 
ing and good print. 

After more careful perusals, and several inquiries, 
it was evident that the editor had some pecuniary in- 
terest in the sale of Dick's Celebrated Graham Crack- 
ers, Thompson's Desiccated Milk, Wheeler's Health 
Rejuvenator — in Tom, Dick and Harry's stores, 
in short. The whole arrangement was very much 
like that of the cook-book which gave some admir- 



122 "HOW NOT TO BE POOR. 

able recipes for the preparation of coffee, but ended 
each one with the advice to use " Smith's Patent 
Coffee Urn, as it was the only urn or pot that would 
be of service." 

Then this health journal was not truthful, so Doc- 
tor Lyons said. u It's plates were borrowed, and the 
pictures were as exaggerated as the description of 
them." In the third place, it was forever telling of 
the advantages of exercise before breakfast, of the 
great nutritiousness of the cereals, as contrasted with 
meat, of how to live on almost nothing a day, of how 
not to be poor. 

All this would have been well, had any of the 
suggestions proved practical enough to carry out. 
According to Mrs. Jones' statement, she would not 
change her experience for any one's pet theories. 
She had attempted to use flannel with all her chil- 
dren, but was compelled to remove it from two of 
them, as it produced an irritating eruption. She had 
acted on some one's advice, and kept one baby al- 
most smothered in clothes, for fear of catching cold. 
It broke into a profuse perspiration, and soon be- 
came weak, and upon its body an eruption appeared. 
With another, she had first gone to the other ex- 



" VACCINATION." 1 23 



treme, and put on too little clothing, and the baby 
was down sick with Summer trouble. 

" Many of the afflictions which fall to the lot of 
children are/' she continued, " due, I believe, to the 
want of a mother's care. To look back now, and 
see what I have left undone, makes me despondent 
sometimes, but I have tried to profit by my mis- 
takes. 

"When Tom and Susie were vaccinated, they did 
not suffer much, and soon got over the effects ; but 
poor little Fred had a dreadful arm, all swollen up 
to his shoulder, and almost down to his hand. I 
know very well that the doctor told me that the 
matter was perfectly good and pure, and that this 
turn in affairs was due to the feeble condition of the 
little fellow, after his attack from cholera infantum, 
but then a good many of the neighbors came in, and 
a large number insisted upon it that it was all owing 
to bad matter, and I began to think so ; but I have 
now found how unjust I was in my suspicions. 

" When Joe was three years old, it so happened 
that I was not very well, and for a time, to keep the 
house quiet, I let him play out on the sidewalk with 
other children in the block. One day it was quite 



124 A PROFITABLE CALL. 

hot, much warmer out of doors than I had supposed. 
Joe had eaten a larger dinner than usual, and after 
he had played out of doors for a little while, he came 
into the house complaining of headache. He was 
out of sorts for some time afterward, and we believe 
he must have had a * touch of the sun.' 

" Mrs. Phillips lost her little girl, you know, from 
congestion of the brain brought on by a sunstroke. 
Ever since, during the very hot weather, I have 
clothed the children, baby and all, in loose, thin 
clothing, and have given them light food, free from 
much fat, and I find it pays, if I am careful not to let 
them catch cold by exposure to sudden changes of 
temperature ; but I am afraid, Mrs. Matthews, that I 
have detained you, and probably wearied you with 
my family matters, but you must excuse me — for I 
scarcely know when to stop, if once I get started." 

Her recital had not been wearisome to us. On 
the contrary, new light, was let in upon cherished 
ideas, and as we wended our way toward our own 
little home, it was understood between us that we 
had seen a couple who were doing the best they 
knew how, that they were endeavoring to reach per- 
fection. Jones was an overworked man, and his 



MRS. PERCY S BOYS. 125 

wife was weighed down with the care of a large 
family and all the worries said to belong to it. Yet 
they were in the main cheerful and hopeful, and 
evidently believed that the only way in which per- 
fection could be reached was by judgment and work. 

Mrs. Percy's family was yet to be inspected, 
though living only next door; for as often as we 
had received calls from Mrs. Percy, we had seen 
but very little of Mr. Percy or the boys. Three 
strong, robust, strapping fellows they turned out to 
be — full of rough, boyish ways, but, after all, little 
gentlemen. It seems that, from birth almost, they 
were accustomed to the free use of water, at first 
tepid; then cool, and finally, as they reached the age 
of four years, cold water was well borne. While she 
believed in water, she also thought that there was 
such a thing as too much bathing ; so her plan was 
the following : 

Before they were one year old, sponging in tepid 
or cool water once every day (in Summer) or every 
other day in cool weather. After one year, a good 
bath in a large tub once a week — first washing the 
entire body with tepid water, and using good pure 
soap, if necessary, to remove dirt ; then sponging off 



ITER METHOD. 



with cold water ; and, finally, the bodies were rubbed 
perfectly dry with a firm, large towel. During 1 the 
week " sponge-baths " were resorted to. For these 
she made bag-like mittens, first for her own use with 
the boys, and afterward they used them. These mit- 
tens were dipped into tepid water, and well lathered, 
if necessary, with soap, then passed rapidly over the 
body, then rinsed out in cold water and used upon 
the body ; after which strong rubbing was resorted 
to. " The " sponge-bath," she contended, " should 
only take up a few moments oi time; and it is a 
grand thing for the boys ; they learn to do things 
quickly and well. There isn't one of them but what 
I could send on an errand almost anywhere, and 
trust with anything, too. They have been brought 
up to mind, but they have had plenty to eat and 
to wear, and they can afford to. Supposing I had 
let them eat candies and cakes — like lots of people 
do — do you suppose, Mr. Matthews, that they would 
have the teeth they have now, or would they feel 
like taking a hold of books or work ? Not a bit of 
it. Why, they have scarcely had a sick day in their 
lives. I nursed every one of them till their teeth 
came, and then they began to have oatmeal, milk, 



"LIKE PARENTS, LIKE CHILDREN. 127 

the juice of beef, bread-and-butter, during the day- 
time, while I nursed at night if I thought they needed 
anything; but they didn't want it very long, and 
now see what they are. 

" Mr. Percy is a great hand to have children go to 
bed early, and never would have any light in the room 
after they were in bed ; and many's the evening that 
he used to play hide-and-seek in the dark with the lit- 
tle ones, so that they would learn not to be afraid. 
You would never tnmk to look at him now, that he 
used to romp with the young ones, but he did, and 
they are the better for it. Thank the Lord, the whole 
of us are well and hearty." 

They were a robust family — " like parents, like 
children/' As lively as Salter appeared in public, I 
knew that at heart he was worried. His mirthfulness 
was like an outer garment, which he always had 
ready to hide his inner feelings. 

His wife was a gentle, affectionate person, with an 
inherited tendency to consumption. She was a beau- 
tiful woman, too, and a favorite in society ; but her 
physical strength was so much below par that poor 
Salter was under an almost constant expense for the 
luxuries which seemed to her, at least, to be necessi- 



128 IC Salter's little girl." 

ties. Then my friend's health was none of the best. 
While at college during the boat-racing fever he had 
overtrained for the work, and had never been able 
since to do hard work or to bear fatigue. 

They had three children born to them, but two 
were dead at the time of our visit. The first had 
died of what the doctors call a inanition," or exhaus- 
tion from want of nourishment. It had seemed im- 
possible to get any food to agree. The second devel- 
oped " water on the brain," and died. Ethel, the 
only child left to them, was a delicate, pretty, light- 
haired and blue-eyed little damsel of five years, active 
and of quick perception ; but her father dreaded the 
onset of any attack of sickness, for he well knew that 
she had but a slight hold on life ; yet he was not 
idle, but endeavored to build her up. For endurance 
in all athletic sports he appreciated the importance 
of free inspiration and expiration of air by the lungs, 
and he watched with anxiety the feeble respiratory 
powers of his little girl. For a year he had spent 
some of the time each day in lung-gymnastics for her 
benefit, and with good results. 

" Yes, Bob, it's doing her good. Why, if she goes 
on increasing the power of her lungs, what will be- 



" SALTER'S ONE GREAT OBJECT.** 129 

come of the poor parents when her voice is strong, 
and there is a bellows' power behind it, like the one 
developing there ? It doesn't do, does it, Ethie, to let 
the women have too much to say ?" 

This he said as he bent down to kiss her, and, while 
he did so, a tear or two started into his eyes, which 
he hastily brushed away. 

There could be no doubt of his love and tenderness 
as well as anxiety. To engraft healthy life upon a 
weakened foundation, to preserve respect and love, 
to bring up an only child properly, seemed to be his 
one great object in life. 

" After all, Matthews." he used to say, "it's very 
much like caring for a tree. You plant it in good 
soil, water it, and give mineral substances for food. 
It is exposed to the air and sun, and with sheers, 
rope and pruning-knife we train it in the way it should 
go, so that when old it will not depart from it." 

Lena and I had intended to visit Miss Oley the same 
evening that we called upon the Salters, but were 
compelled to defer our visit to another time. 



Chapter X. 



THE NURSERY. 



Jl was now well along into Summer. The days 
were inclined toward sultriness, and the nights 
were often unfavorable for a sound sleep. Flies had 
begun to be persistently attentive, would buzz and 
tickle at very inopportune times, while the mos- 
quitoes came upon us eager and thirsty. The ther- 
mometer registered 75 Fahr. and over. Clothing 
was uncomfortable, bathing a luxury. Store-rooms, 
closets and cellar were close and must) 7 , unless 
thoroughly aired. The appetite began to- flag and 
the body to grow weary. Ice melted away rapidly, 
and if by any means, we were not able to keep up 
a supply, the milk soured, putrefaction and decay 
set in. 

Just as Lena and I were ready to call one even- 
ing on Miss Oley, baby was taken suddenly sick. 
The day had been warm, but the boy had been kept 
cool with spongings and thin clothing. He had 



MRS. JONES TO THE FRONT. I3I 

nursed well and seemed bright. At six o'clock Mis. 
Leonard was compelled to leave. At seven p.m. 
he was fed upon cow's milk which seemed sweet 
and good, but soon after, he threw it up, and his 
hands and face grew almost cold. His color van- 
ished, and to those of us who stood by, it seemed 
as if he must die. It must be told here that our 
mothers-in-law were as frightened as the rest oi us, 
notwithstanding they had raised families of children, 
and in this emergency were not found equal to the 
art of keeping cool. The servant had alarmed the 
neighbors and soon they began to pour in. Mrs. 
Lazelle " couldn't stand the sight," sat down and 
wept, then wrung her hands, " because " she wasn't 
able to do anything for us. Mrs. Percy suggested 
" brandy," but Mrs. Jones was the only one who 
took it upon herself to give it — a very, very few 
drops in water every ten or fifteen minutes. This, 
with gently rubbing the body with a warm towel, 
brought the poor little fellow back again to us, and, 
under Mrs. Jones' directions, he gradually recovered. 
"I well remember," she said, " the same experience 
I had once with one of my little ones — and from, 
study and thought I am confident that, in both in- 



132 MY MOTHER-IN-LAW'S ADVICE. 

stances, you will find the cause in the hot weather 
and some change in the milk that we can't perceive, 
perhaps. I have, for a long time, kept a bottle of 
test-paper in my house, so that I could have a piece 
to dip into the milk-can before I gave any milk to 
the children, and I have found that, sometimes when 
milk tastes sweet and smells sweet, yet the blue test- 
paper would be reddened, showing that there was 
some acid in the milk, and this might make it upset 
the baby's stomach. Then, they say that a good 
deal of the cow's milk that is said to come from the 
country never has been there, that some of it comes 
from sick cows — cows, just thimc of it, dying of con- 
sumption — and that if the milkman is not careful to 
clean his cans well, a piece of curdy milk the size of 
a pea will taint a whole can, and my husband says 
that he has seen the milkman nearly fill a can with 
water, pour in a little milk on top, and sell the milk 
and water for pure milk. What is going to become 
of all the children if things go on in this way ?" 

" Why, do as I have always advised my son-in-law, 
Mr. Matthews, to do — buy a cow," answered Mrs. 
Vincent. " When I came here, I knew what was 
wanted, for haven't I been reading the papers for 



"AN HONEST MILK-DEALER." I35 

the last ten years, and don't they tell all about the 
wicked doings in this big city ? 5 ' 

This was my mother-in-law's last shot, and it 
stung me. So sensitive was I, that I dia look about 
for a cow, but I soon found that it was only the 
favored few who could ahord to keep cows in the 
cities as they should be kept. To be sure, a cow — 
such as it was — could be bought, a lot with a few 
blades of grass in it could be hired for pasturage, a 
little tow-headed boy around the corner could be 
hired to drive it — or run it, as such boys do usually — 
to and from pasture (?). Mr. JenKs' stable could be 
hired, or, rather, one stall in it could, for it held 
already four horses, three dogs — one for use, one for 
show, and one to bet on in a rat-fight. Then there 
were two goats kept for Mr. Slocum's baby. So I 
did not buy a cow, but searched the city over till I 
found an honest milk-dealer, who kept cows a few 
miles from the city, and brought his milk undiluted 
to our door. 

The baby fattened on it, and the parents indulged 
themselves in its use. Now that we had found milk 
which really tasted like country milk, Mrs Vincent 
iclt that her responsibility had about ended, and so 



134 MRS. VINCENT GOES HOME. 

went to her home ; but the mails brought from time 
to time the advice " not to starve the child," to keep 
it out of the sun, not to let everybody handle it, be- 
cause she had just picked up the paper and saw in it 
that small-pox was " raging in New York city ?5 

The good old lady ! how over-anxious and over- 
sensitive she was, and yet how kind at heart, though 
she could not seem to understand that the " young 
people " must learn " how to run the house and care 
lor the children/' as other people have had to before 
them. 

Miss Oley was a great favorite of hers, and we 
could scarcely understand why, until we finally 
called upon her. Then we learned how enthusiastic 
she was, what common sense she mingled with her 
enthusiasm, how she never tired of working for a 
good cause, with what zeal she endeavored to carry 
out any plan that would elevate her fellow-beings. 
Having lived in the country for a number of years, 
she appreciated the advantages of pure air and sur- 
roundings, and endeavored in every possible way to 
put them within the reach of the poor among the 
tenements, and in the low-lying parts of the city 
known to the health authorities as the pigsty dis- 



MISS OLEY'S GOOD WORKS. I35 

tricts. She had been instrumental in starting the 
Diet Dispensary, which already, in its two months' 
existence, had relieved so many. 

The weather had been warm and babies were 
sick, and many had died, but this dispensary seemed 
to be preventing disease, by furnishing to the poor, 
on physcians' orders, excellent milk, oatmeal, beef-tea 
and other articles. 

At the time of our visit, Miss Oley was particularly 
interested in furnishing fresh air to the poor by plan- 
ning for excursions on river and bay, by the establish- 
ment of a country week homes,'' as already found in 
operation at Copenhagen, and near Boston, and by 
the erection of sea-side homes on the sandy shores of 
the ocean, Her enthusiasm was so contagious that 
it did not seem to us a difficult matter for her to in- 
terest any number of people in any new project, 

" Now do, Mr. Matthews, become a subscriber to 
our fund for the establishment of the new nursery. 
Your wife has already promised to become an active 
member, and you know you must do as much good 
work as she does, and so many of the gentlemen have 
put their names down. If you don't feel like giving - 
to the nursery, why not take an interest in these Sum- 



136 WHICH DOCTOR. 



mer picnics we are trying to get up, for the benefit 
of the poor little children ? When our nursery is 
opened, I want to see some arrangement then to take 
the children out for rides or fresh air, for I don't be- 
lieve that they get enough of either. Of course, it 
would be better if we could raise money enough to buy 
a place in the country, and send the children off for the 
Summer, so we could clean and paint, as well as air 
everything ; but here I am talking away, and only a 
building has been hired, and there are no children in 
it, and no board of managers elected. A physician 
isn't appointed even, though there is a good deal of 
talk about who is to have charge. Now, Lena, would 
you, if you were me, vote for Doctor Lyons ? He is 
younger than the other doctors, you know, and has 
the reputation of having ' hobbies,' of talking too 
much, and of being too particular. Doctor Namen 
would bring dignity and respectability to the institu- 
tion ; Doctor Pearsall, influence and money — besides 
he is popular ; Doctor Sawyer is too gruff — I can't 
bear him ; Doctor Bowles is a clear out-and-out 
1 omeopathist; while Doctor Belcher calls himself 
t* jeral,' and has a good many friends. Of course, 
./hat we want is some one who will take a live inteu 



OUR CHOICE, 137 



est in the children, and try to have as little sickness as 
possible/' 

" Well, Jennie, if that is the kind of a person you 
need, I believe Doctor Lyons would be just the man; 
of course, I don't know anything about him, except 
what I've seen with my little boy, but he has been 
real kind and attentive to me and the baby, and Bob 
thinks everything of him, and why shouldn't I like 
him ? I really don't know anything about ' pathy,' or 
the school of medicine he follows, and I don't care, as 
long as he gets along well with us, and we like him. 
As far as I can learn, the best doctors don't have any 
1 pathy ' at all. I believe I should be afraid to have a 
doctor who claimed to always be able to cure every- 
thing and everybody, and certainly I would if he was 
talking against other doctors." 

u That is all true enough, Lena ; but would you 
have an unmarried man, who has never had any chil- 
dren of his own to look out for, put in charge of lots 
of babies ?" 

" The reason he isn't married, Jennie, is probably 
because he has never seen exactly the woman he 
would like to marry," slyly interposed my wife. 

" Yes, I understand,'' answered Miss Oley, evi- 



138 MISS o ley's ideal physician. 

dently touched.; " but Doctor Namen would be just 
the person, if he wasn't so dignified, and could only 
keep himself up to the times. He doesn't really care 
to practice any more, and I suppose we will have to 
appoint some younger man ; but who it is to be I 
don't know. 5 ' 

It seemed curious to me that Miss Oley should ob- 
ject to Doctor Lyons on the ground of his being par- 
ticular, for certainly she was in many respects like 
him. He was not quite as sanguine as she was, 
probably, because his business had taught him not 
to be ; but he had the same general object in view, 
viz., to do all that could be done for the poor and 
afflicted. She had her way of doing the work and he 
had his. 

In the various charitable enterprises afloat he also 
had an interest, and, in his quiet way, did much good. 
This she must have known ; but her " ideal physician 
was a man of silvery hair, with a gentle, comforting 
manner, whose words were the essence of wisdom, 
whose life had been, and is, devoted to study, practice 
and research. He must be a married man, and de- 
voted to his profession. " 
. Alas ! no such a man was forthcoming, and this was 



A LIVELY MEETING. 1 39 

not the first time that Miss Oley had been mistaken 
and disappointed. Two proteges, taken up amid 
misery and want, were cared for by her, clothed, fed, 
sent to school, and then the boy was taught a trade, 
and the girl was retained as a companion and seam- 
stress ; but the boy ran away to sea, and the girl fell 
in love with a miserable, \azy fellow, and married him ; 
yet our friend was sanguine that everything would 
yet turn out well. 

She was disappointed when she was satisfied that 
her ideal doctor could not be found, and how to ob- 
tain some one who could fairly represent this ideal 
was the question. 

Two weeks from the time of our visit the ladies and 
gentlemen interested had a meeting, and elected a 
board of twenty lady managers, and five gentlemen 
directors, to take charge of the nursery. Then 
followed a meeting of the Board of Managers, and 
quite a " lively ,? one it was, to use Lena's expres- 
sion, for she had been made a manager, and was 
present. 

The appointment of a matron was first in order. 
Six women were highly recommended by several of 
the ladies, but a choice finally fell upon a Mrs. Mor- 



140 DONATIONS — WISE AND OTHERWISE. 

rell, for whom it was claimed that she had had a 
large experience in the care of babies, and had 
raised a family of her own. A Mrs. Conant was in- 
stalled as assistant matron, while, after much de- 
bate, Doctor Belcher, the " liberal," and Pearsall 
were chosen as physicians. Doctor Lyons received 
but seven votes, Miss Oley voting against him on 
the ground that he was an unmarried man and too 
particular. Soon the institution got into running 
order ; the rooms were filled with babies. Dona- 
tions of all sorts of things began to pour in, many of 
them of no earthly use to any of the inmates. Old, 
worn-out clothing, broken toys, dilapidated furni- 
ture, canned fruits and vegetables, that had proba- 
bly incumbered the shelves of the worthy trades- 
people for months past — were actually offered, ac- 
cepted for fear of giving offense, and acknowledged 
in the daily papers. There were reliable gifts of 
money, warm clothing, soap, sweet-oil, vaseline 
(which had proved itself to be useful to us with our 
baby), oatmeal, flour, wheat, Indian-meal, sugar, 
rice, etc., etc., besides nursery-lamps, water-coolers, 
hair-mattresses for Winter and wire-woven ones for 
Summer use, bedclothes, rolls of cotton, woolen and 



u RUMORS." 141 



linen-cloth, good, stiff hair-brushes, etc. The two 
baby-carriages donated were so much out of repair 
that it cost as much to put them in order as would 
reasonably be expended in the purchase of new 
vehicles, but the ladies did not care to grumble, for 
they were relying for aid upon a " generous public." 

It was thought best, after all, not to have any es- 
pecial opening exercises, so the address of the Rev. 
Doctor Barnaby was postponed for the annual 
meeting. 

Lena was not able to attend any of the meetings, 
or to visit the institution for several months. Rumors 
reached us during this period of neglect upon the 
part of the matron. It was even said that she acted 
at times as if her brain was affected. Miss Oley 
spoke highly of the kindness and efficiency of Mrs. 
Conant, and hoped that Mrs. Morrell's health would 
improve soon ; " she was so nervous, and spoke so 
sharply to the children." About the doctors she 
said but little. It was evident to Lena and myself 
that things were not going on smoothly. 

If Doctor Lyons' name was mentioned by us, Miss 
Oley either passed on to other subjects of conversa- 
tion, or spoke of him rather contemptuously, we 



1A2 DOCTOR LYONS ENEMY. 



thought. But the doctor quietly went on with the 
work he was engaged in, and whenever he met Miss 
^Oley at our house, or elsewhere, was still polite and 
gentlemanly. He was also interested in the Nursery, 
but was very careful as to what he said about the 
management of it. He was evidently interested in 
Miss Oley, but to get into her good graces was a 
difficult matter. When I had occasion to go one 
evening to the Nursery on an errand, who should I 
find was the matron but our first acquaintance,. Mrs. 
Flynn. She had married Mr. Morrell, received a 
better name, a little money, and could dress better. 
Mrs. Conant proved to be the widow J saw once in 
Doctor Lyons* office, and an interesting, fine-looking 
woman she was. With the discovery of Mrs. Flynn 
it was also evident that Doctor Lyons had an enemy 
in the institution, and it was probable that Miss 
Oley's opinion of him had been somewhat colored 
by her stories. 

Certainly Doctor Lyons did have an enemy in 
Mrs. Morrell, and a wily one withal ; but how came 
she there in such an institution, and in charge of it, 
too? Why, in this way. Mrs. Billings* coachman 
was second cousin to Jim Morrell, who kept a corner 



MRS, FLYNN S TACTICS- 143 



grocery, with a " nate little bar " in the rear of it. 
Mrs. Flynn, who was always on the lookout for 
something or somebody to better herself with, put 
this and that toother — viz., there was to be a new 
nursery started, and a matron appointed with a sala- 
ry, but the woman must come well recommended ; 
then there was Mr. Morrell, the widower, with some 
money, and he was a big man in politics, besides. 
Now, if she could marry him and prink up a little, 
who knew what luck might befall her ? 

It seemed that Billings, who held a fat-salaried 
political office, owed his appointment in the main to 
this Jim Morrell, whom he seldom cared to call upon 
in the daytime, for fear of being seen entering a store 
which had begun to have a bad name ; but so strong 
was Jim's political grip, that Billings endeavored to 
serve him in every possible way. 

Mrs. Flynn enticed the groceryman into marriage, 
and, as mistress of the house, became proficient in 
"pulling the wires." Billings had promised Morrell 
that he would do what he could for his wife, but 
never dreamed at the time that she would want to 
be matron of the nursery, in which the ladies and 
gentlemen were beginning to be interested. Morrell 



144 " POLTICAL THUMB SCREWS/' 

died from tippling, leaving but little money to his 
widow and her children. The money she put into 
her pocket, and the children into the Half-Orphan 
Asylum, and with her late husband's cousin, be- 
sieged Mr. Billings for a position, 

It was some time before Mrs. Billings would agree 
to favor Mrs. MorrelFs application for matron, but 
the political thumb-screws bore heavily upon Bil- 
lings, and he and Lis wife succumbed, so that at the 
first meeting of the Board of Managers Mrs. Billing: 
proposed the name of Mrs. Morrell, on the ground 
that she had raised a large family. 

Nothing was said as to the " orphans' " where- 
abouts, and few cared to inquire into particulars 
about the woman as long as Mrs. Billings, the worthy 
president, had suggested the name. The waitress at 
the Billings' table had informed the coachman as to 
the conversations upon the choice of physicians, and 
the coachman had taken extra pains to let Mrs. Mor- 
rell know all about them ; so the woman started out 
to defeat any plan for the installment of Doctor 
Lyons, and had succeeded in drawing away ad- 
herents. 

This was accomplished, not by any open attack, 



MISS OLEY'S SYMPATHY. 145 

but by shakes of the head, little miserable " sugges- 
tions/' insinuations as to character, and accounts of 
unsuccessful cases. They did the work. People 
who had been believed to be friends of Doctor Lyons 
hesitated, thought they would make inquiries as to 
the doctor, postponed them from day to day, and 
when the meeting was called, remembered that 
they had not inquired, but rather than have any 
physician in charge of the institution against whom 
there was the least suspicion, they voted against 
him. 

And just this mode of proceeding may be, and is 
exemplified almost every day. Miss Oley, who had 
already determined not to have an unmarried man 
as physician, was rather glad of the " opposition " 
as an excuse for her vote, though mingled with her 
joy at success was a sympathy for Doctor Lyons, for 
she could not believe the rumors afloat about him. 
She well knew that her sympathy must not be ex- 
pressed, for when once openly bestowed, it was 
difficult to keep it in due bounds, so she was very 
circumspect. 

The nursery meanwhile lived on. A few of the 

managers had learned the antecedents of the matron. 
10 



146 "AN UNEXPECTED VISIT/* 

and were in favor of her removal, but whenever any 
lady called at the building and questioned the nurses 
as to the condition of things, everything was said to 
be " as good as could be." On visiting-days, or 
when any visitor was expected, the children looked 
clean, the floors had a polish, all articles offensive to 
the eye and nose were put into closets, and the keys 
of these closets into the matron's pocket. If a lady 
manager wanted to look into a closet, the key was 
" mislaid" (?), and rather than put the matron to the 
trouble to look for it, the manager went on her way 
without seeing the inside of anything. 

The matron chuckled to herself at her sharpness, 
and gave the colicky babies an extra dose of gin to 
quiet them. Now, these babies were many in num- 
ber, for the larger proportion were bottle-ied. 

An unexpected visit by Miss Oley and my wife 
revealed dirt, bad odors, disorder and want of care, 
and yet it was the same institution so highly spoken 
of by visitors of the previous day, for the unexpected 
visit had been made in the evening. Bottles of milk 
were sour to test-paper and taste even, with mouth- 
pieces sour-smelling and not thoroughly cleansed. 
Pans of food for the children stood upon the window- 



A MODEL NURSERY. 147 

sills or chairs of the bedroom, to remain there till 
^morning. Closets were crammed with dirty clothes, 
wearing apparel, soiled garments, and odds and ends. 
Windows were closed, or the ventilators stuffed with 
shawls or skirts. The air was close, sickening, stifling. 
The odors, perceptible on entering the building, grew 
more and more disgusting as the visitors ascended 
the stairs. And this was the institution of which the 
ladies were so proud. 

No wonder the babies sickened and died. Strange 
to say they could not or would not live on the little 
attentions, so gently bestowed by the kind-hearted 
ladies. Ah, thought I, an institution needs the same 
care as a .private family does, only more thorough 
and constant, for every breath, every soiled piece of 
clothing, every particle of dirt, every bad odor, every 
atom of fermenting or putrefying material, every 
neglect, poisons the blood, influences the mind, or 
dwarfs bodily vigor. The matron persistently af- 
firmed that she had not smelt or seen anything out of 
the way with the place, and so she was retained, 
for few of the ladies cared to call at other than 
regular times, when Mrs. Morrell was sure to be pre- 
pared for them. 



143 A STORMY NIGHT. 

The doctors proved to be good-natured, agreeable 
gentlemen, who called regularly at certain hours — 
gave the matron verbal directions to follow out- 
spent a short time in passing through the building — 
or, if hurried by outside business, received reports 
of the condition of affairs from the matron. They 
saw nothing amiss with the matron, and in monthly 
reports to the board, mentioned her valuable ser- 
vices. 

Mrs. Conant, who, we ascertained had accom- 
plished about all the good that was done, received 
not even a passing notice, but her time was to come. 

One cold Winter evening, when the elements 
seemed at war with each other — when wind and 
storm, by their fury, rid the streets of human beings, 
save here and there, throughout the large city, mis- 
erable, houseless tramps, both women and men, who 
crouched in areas, or huddled in niches and crevices, 
between and about houses and warehouses — upon 
such a night, Miss Oley called upon us, absorbed in 
a new undertaking, and utterly regardless of the cold 
and sleet Mrs. Scott, the poor shoemaker's wife, 
ha* lenly died, leaving a delicate little baby, just 

one month old, behind her. There was no one in 



THE SCOTT BABY. 1 49 

Scott's family who could care for it, and he could 11 \ 
afford to hire any one. Doctor Lyons, who was a 
friend of the shoemaker, became very much inter- 
ested in the baby. Miss Oley had assisted Scott from 
time to time with work and food. Mrs. Conant, at 
the nursery, knew him well, and was anxious to have 
the baby raised, for Scott's sake, and for the dead 
mother's, who had been a friend to her, when she oc- 
cupied rooms next door to the shoemaker's shop. 
Under the circumstances, Doctor Lyons believed the 
best/thing to do, was to place the baby under Mrs. 
Conant's care, providing she alone would be able to. 
see to it, for, as he said, " he well appreciated the dif- 
ficulties institutions had in procuring wet-nurses, and 
so could not expect this baby to be wet-nursed, but 
he also knew that to admit a baby into the bottle- 
fed wards of an institution was almost certain 
death." 

if Mrs. Conant could care for it, he felt sure that 
the baby would have every possible chance for life 
anvl her sad experience with her own family had been 
of great service to her. Everything depended upon 
having the Scott baby put under Mrs. Conant's 
care as soon as possible ; but, alas ! there was more 



1$G RED TAPE/ 



red-tape about the admission of children than there 
should be, and Miss Oley appealed to. Lena to help 
unravel it. 

So the greater part of the next day was spent in 
going from the President to the Executive Commit- 
tee, then to the Committee on Admissions, to the 
Committee on Foundlings, to the one on Free Ad- 
missions, to the Matron, back to the President, and 
so on. 

Finally, an order was procured, and the Scott baby 
was placed under Mrs. Conant's care, but not with- 
out considerable grumbling from Mrs. Morrell, who 
couldn't see why this " miserable little baby shouldn't 
take his turn with the rest. It would die anyhow, in 
the Nursery or out of it, and it was a wonder that 
Doctor Lyons, if he had anything to do with it, hadn't 
let it die before this.'' 

Six months had now elapsed since the Nursery 
was begun, and, out of the forty children cared -for, 
ten had died, or one out of four. No wonder, then, 
that all of us who were interested in baby Scott 
watched with great anxiety for the results of what 
had been done. 

Miss Oley was determined that this baby should 



THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY. 151 

live, if love and tender care could be of avail, for she 
was anxious for the welfare of the institution, and did 
not believe, as many of the ladies did, that the deaths 
could not be prevented, and that when the little ones 
dwindled away, one by one, that " we must recognize 
the hand of Providence in our afflictions, and be thank- 
ful for the mercies extended to us/' 

Doctor Lyons called once at the Nursery as a visi- 
tor, but did not wish to again, as the children were 
under the care of professional brethren, and his visits 
however friendly, might be misinterpreted ; but often 
he was at ©ur house, and there he met Miss Oley ; 
and a safe topic of conversation — so it was understood, 
at least — was the Scott baby and its welfare. 

However reserved Miss Oley might be wh'le en- 
gaged upon other subjects (for she had become sus- 
picious and shy of our intentions and of Doctor 
Lyons) this one she was free to discuss. The doctor, 
too, was glad of a common ground on which they 
could meet, and quietly espoused the cause of the 
motherless babe. 

The first anniversary day of the Nursery was fast 
approaching. Arrangements were made for a grand 
display. Circulars were issued, the newspaper edi- 



152 MISPLACED ZEAL. 

tors were seen, the building was thoroughly cleaned 
under the supervision of a committee of ladies. 
1 How they worked for the " dear little children !" 
How love, energy and interest combined to renovate 
and revive when the day came ! All the children 
had new dresses, aprons and shoes. All the nurses, 
clean white caps and aprons. Everything looked 
fresh and clean. The ladies were happy, the nurses 
excited. Some of the children were noisy and well, 
but many, alas, still wore their pinched, sallow and 
sunken features, along with the new dresses and 
aprons, while some of the most dejected were placed 
in a room at the top of the building, where Mrs. 
Morrell hoped that few of the expected visitors 
would care to go. The matron herself looked quite 
the lady in her clean new dress and apron ; and with 
her widow's cap on, no one could more cordially 
greet the visitors than she did. The ladies were 
charmed with her actions and words — except Lena, 
Miss Oley, Mrs. Percy and Mrs. Bond, for they 
knew well, by this time, what manner of woman she 
was. Their interest in the Scott baby had shown 
them how suspicious, how overbearing, how self- 
opinionated — how ignorant she was. The baby had 



MRS. CONANT'S CHARGE. 153 

thrived under good air good care, cleanliness — well- 
prepared, fresh and nutritious food, given at proper 
times and in proper quantities, as Doctor Lyons ex- 
pressed it ; and Mrs. Morrell was jealous of the at- 
tentions she knew it would get at the hands of the 
visitors, for she w T as not so stupid but what she could 
see this would be bestowed. 

After viewing the children in the larger rooms, the 
lady visitors filed one by one into Mrs. Conant's 
room, and were enthusiastic over the appearance of 
the little baby there, who though only seven months 
old, was in much better condition than many of the 
babies a year or more old. Rev. Mr. Barnaby, with 
his written address wrapped in brown paper under 
one arm, and with the other supporting Mrs. Bar- 
naby, went the round of the building, and in due 
time came to Mrs. Conant's room. 

" What splendid babies we do have here in this 
institution. Why, my dear, they say that this child 
is poor Joe Scott's, you know, the shoemaker whom 
I let mend my gaiters a month or two ago. Nice 
fellow he is, too ; but he did put an abominable piece 
of coarse leather into' the shoes." 

" Yes, Timothy, that may be true, but you didn't 



154 "POOR SCOTT.'' 



have to pay anything- there, did you ?" answered his 
wife. 

And there sat " poor Scott " all the time — behind a 
movable screen made to keep the wind from blow- 
ing too hard, and the sun from shining too fiercely, 
upon his baby, and overheard it all. He often came 
in on visiting days, yet was so evidently in the way 
of Mrs. Morrell that he staid but a short time and 
sorrowfully took his leave,, but this day was a holiday 
for the institution, so he packed up his kit of tools, 
cleaned and brushed his almost threadbare suit, 
scrubbed his blackened and begrimed hands, washed 
his face, brushed his shoes, made of exactly the same 
leather as the patch on Mr. Barnaby's gaiters, put 
up his blinds, and took the first holiday he had had 
for years. 

Seated behind the screen he could be out of sight 
of the visitors and yet near his child, and when the 
crowd was attracted to other parts of the building, 
by various exercises going on, he would move up to 
the crib, and take the little fair hand in his great 
uncouth one, and watch the play of the expressions 
upon the sweet little face, or, if she fell asleep, he 
patiently sat and fanned away the flies. Once ho 



"MR. barnaby's address." *i 5 5 

attempted to hold her in his arms, and play with her, 
but visitors surged into the room, and he withdrew 
to his corner. Evening came, and with it Mr. Bar- 
naby's address. The ladies were expectant, for much 
depended on this address, an appropriation from the 
State perhaps, for it was well known that the bulk of 
the support the Nursery had procured came from 
the city and county. 

" Gentlemen and ladies, friends of this institution/' 
he began, a we are collected here to witness the suc- 
cess of one of the noblest charities in our grand city. 
Nowhere can such real good be effected as here in 
just such work as this. We educate, clothe and raise 
the poor little waifs, who, if it were not for this chari- 
ty, would die, or grow into paupers, and form a part 
of the ' dangerous classes ' which so infest our cities. 
I say [ we ' — this I should not say, for the success is 
due, under God's direction, to the devoted band of 
women, who have labored in season and out of sea- 
son, during times when all seemed dark, and the 
heavens were clouded ; but light came to them, and 
blessings have been showered upon their pathway. 
To the devoted, kind-hearted and intelligent matron, 
the ladies, through their humble spokesman, express 



156 UNDESERVED PRATSE. 

their appreciation, this day, of her love and tenderness 
toward those poor unfortunate little ones who have 
been intrusted to her care. The ladies also desire 
that thanks be rendered to the attending physicians 
for their services. During the past year, a few of the 
inmates have been taken away to a heavenly home, 
by an allwise Providence. Gently were their last 
hours soothed by the tender care of the matron, and 
those under her. We are not to forget that we deal 
here in this institution with the fragile plant, the deli- 
cite flower and tender bud, and that as the plant, 
flower and bud cannot well bear the storms of nature, 
so our gems cannot well stand the storms and uncer- 
tainties of life. Yet our record compares well with 
that of similar institutions. Look at the record of our 
county institutions for children, and what do you find. 
Over one-half die every year. Look into the deaths 
among the poor and neglected, and what do you find ? 
A larger rate. Then glance at the work which we 
have all met to celebrate and urge forward, and here 
you see the blessed results of womanly zeal and love. 
i Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these 
my brethren,' said our Saviour, ' ye have done it unto 
Me.' What a blessed thought to carry away with 



REFLECTIONS. 1 57 



us. May our hearts be opened to the influences of 
love for the little ones, and may we nobly respond, 
by contributions, by energy, by united effort, to the 
appeal for assistance which comes to us through the 
ladies of this Nursery." 

The above is an abstract of Mr. Barnaby's address, 
and contains the main points. After speaking the 
reverend gentleman sat down, the excercises were 
brought to a close by Mr. Billings, who read a finan- 
cial statement, the crowd dispersed, and as each per- 
son went homeward, Joe Scott remembered the patch 
on the gaiters, Miss Oley the fact that Mr. Barnaby 
had been unwilling to become a subscriber to the 
Nursery fund, Doctor Lyons that one out of every 
four children in the Nursery had died during the year, 
and Mrs. Jones called to mind that the Crosstozvn 
Herald constantly compared the statistics of orphan 
asylums and large institutions with those of private 
ones where there were few inmates, to the detriment 
of the latter. 

Mrs. Bond carried with her the remembrance of the 
dear little Scott baby, so well and strong, and brought 
up on the bottle, too, while Lena and I could not for- 
get the praise bestowed on the former Mrs. Flynn, 



158 A PLAN OF REFORM. 

and no mention made of the real power for good re- 
siding in Mrs. Conant. 

All of these facts, carried home by the people, were 
elements of dissatisfaction as to the managment of 
the Nursery, and soon they crystahized into a plan of 
reform. 



Chapter XL 



THE NEW PLATFORM. 



^HE appropriation from the State treasury was not 
made for the support of the Nursery, notwith- 
standing the long and eloquent appeal of the Rev. 
Mr. Barnaby, which had been printed in circular form, 
and had been sent to all the influential people in the 
State ; and why was it not made ? Simply because 
the Honorable Charles Jenks, Senator from one of the 
country districts, combined with the Honorable 
Henry Stone, Representative from the city, to have 
the charitable appropriations laid on the table for the 
present, and they were so laid. 

These worthy gentlemen, so it seemed, had read 
the appeal. At first they were inclined to push for 
a liberal donation, but the rumors started in the city 
of New York found their way to Albany, and so it 
happened that, one day when visitors were not ex- 
pected — in the heat of Summer, when most of the 
lady managers were out of the city, enjoying the air 



l6o A TOUR OF INSPECTION 

and health of the country — the two honorable gentle- 
men called at the Nursery, were invited into the re- 
ception-room, while Mrs. Morrell hastened to the 
parts of the house over which she had control, to 
"tidy up a bit/' but was not very speedy in her re- 
turn, and the time of the gentlemen was valuable ; 
also, overhearing part of a conversation between the 
matron and one of the favorite nurses, as the two 
women scolded and fretted in the next room, because 
visitors had come just at this time when " everything 
was upset. 5 * Messrs. Jenks and Stone, securing the 
services as a guide of a little four-year old boy, who 
was peeping in at the half-open door, went up-stairs 
and through the building on a tour of inspection. 

The boy, anxious to be of service, and eager for 
the financial rewaid, which he felt sure would be his, 
still kept his eyes on the alert for the matron, for he 
well knew that he was trespassing on forbidden 
ground in daring to show visitors about. How 
blandly Mrs. Morrell did smile when the party, in 
their tour, reached the room where the matron was 
striving to V clean up after the nurses." How clev- 
erly she concealed her anger ! How natural her 
apologies and excuses for the state of affairs ! But 



HOW IT RESULTED. l6l 

Senator Jenks was " too old a bird," so he said, n to 
be caught by chaff,'' and Representative Si one " had 
not served several terms at Albany for nothing," so 
they concluded : 

First: That Matron Morrell was inefficient, if not 
quick-tempered and cruel, for little Sim Wiggins* 
cries had reached their ears as they passed out of the 
front door, begging for his u ten-cents," and he would 
never take people round again. 

Second : That if the matron was inefficient, the sub- 
employes would be likely to be as they had found 
them, with a few exceptions. 

Third: These exceptions were Mrs. Conant, whose 
rooms were neat and clean, whose children were well 
cared for. Then there were nurses who were en- 
deavoring to do right, surrounded as they were by 
lazy women. 

Fourth °. That as records were kept imperfectly, lit- 
tle reliability could be placed on the published statis- 
tics of the institution. 

Fifth ; That Mr. Barnaby's appeal had misled them 

as to the healthfulness, care, order and usetulness of 

the Nursery. 

So the gentlemen went back to Albanv, sadder but 
11 



1 62 "A GARDEN PARTY." 



wiser men, and straightway examined the appeals and 
statistics from the other institutions. An investiga- 
tion committee was appointed. 

" Mistakes " and " clerical errors " only were found 
as to the number of persons treated in some of the 
dispensaries, asylums, homes and nurseries,, and as to 
the rate of mortality, it surely must have been ^un- 
intentional " for babies to die within a few hours after 
reaching their mothers' homes from a stay in an in- 
stitution, or for a baby to be sent from one building 
to die in another ; but the committee did not think 
so, and the appropriations, in some instances, were 
omitted, and in others the amount was reduced. 

The lady managers of our Nursery, disappointed 
though'they were at not receiving the money, went 
to work, organized a garden party, worked three 
days almost constantly, and finally realized one hun- 
dred and fifty dollars — a small amount apparently 
for the labor bestowed and the money expended, 
but no smaller is it than other institutions have ob- 
tained. 

Mrs. Billings, and a few active workers, still clung 
to the Nursery, and worked as well as they could, 
but outside interest was flagging- Money did not 



"A GRAND NURSERY BALL." 163 

pour ia as at the outset. The people at large were 
beginning to make comparisons upon the mortality 
ia this and other similar institutions. The " people 
were very unreasonable," said Mrs. Billings. " The 
'people/" replied Mr. Billings, u must know less of 
what we are doing. The Nursery must not go down. 
We must economize. Cut down the grocers* and 
butchers' bills. Can't you take off butter from one 
of the meals, and use less milk." 

Children were still admitted and children died, 
though not as many as in hot weather. With the 
Winter came a " grand ball," which was given for the 
benefit of one of the grandest charities, the " Nursery.'' 
But the excitement attending the preparations for 
the ball, the long lists of presidents and vice-presi- 
dents, managers and friends, paraded so conspicu- 
ously in the papers, the wrought up enthusiasm — the 
moneyed results — did not upset the views of thinking 
people — and there was stiil dissatisfaction in certain 
quarters. 

It was useless for the ) T oung lady managers to affirm 
that the babies were " little darlings/' and that the- 
physicians to the institution were perfectly lovely 
when the thinking people could see that the babies 



1 64 A GRATEFUL FATHER. 

were wasting away, and that the doctors — " ladies* 
men'' though they were— -neat in appearance and 
gentlemen in manners, could not, or would not, ferret 
out odors, do unpleasant work, or spend time in giv- 
ing instruction. 

These " thinking people/' much to the d.sgust and 
displeasure of the Billings' faction, went still further, 
an 1 compared the physicians with those of other 
institutions which had earned a solid reputation for 
good work, and found that, for an institution to suc- 
ceed, a physician must be a worker as well as a 
gentleman ; that he must have persons under him 
who are competent ; that he must have the power 
to regulate matters pertaining to food, clothing, 
medicine and sanitation ; that he ought to be paid a 
salary. 

Scott was one of " the people," an 1 so delighted 
was he with the healthy condition of his own child, 
and so sorry for the weakly ones, he was compelled 
to see whenever he made his visit to the Nursery, 
that he even aroused himself to the importance of a 
change in affairs. 

A valuable man Scott proved to be, ready for any 
work; and so it came that he carried messages from 



A SPECIAL MEETING CALLED. 1C5 

Miss Oley to Doctor Lyons, from the doctor to Miss 
Oley, and from each, or both, to some of the other 
people, who were now banded together for reform. 

The messages were always on nursery matters, 
of course ; but is it likely that even two such enthu- 
siasts as the doctor and Miss Oley could write joint 
letters — as they were compelled to do at times — and 
yet for ever stick to the subject before them, and 
talk of nothing else ? 

In due time a special meeting of the lady and gen- 
tlemen managers was called to again consider some 
plan for the raising of money. Some of the younger 
ladies were in favor of a Martha Washington Tea 
Party, where the characters might be assumed by 
the members of the joint board, and so save expense, 
and combine pleasure with business. 

" Our president, Mrs. Billings, might be Lady 
Washington, and Mr. Solomon might be the general, 
and I am sure our physicians will personate some 
of the people cf 'ye olden time/" said the lively 
Miss Pell. 

But Mr. Solomon, a worthy, generous, practical 
German, who had been placed on the board of mana- 
gers for his influence, did not agree with the sug< 



1 66 THE HONEST GERMAN'S SENTIMENTS. 

gestion ; and when, in his earnest, emphatic way, he 
replied : " Miss Pell, vat we want now is to put dis 
Nursery on its legs like a ' biziness ' man does with 
his own biziness, " the sentiment was loudly ap- 
plauded by the thinking people ; and when the 
thinking people were counted, it was found that 
their number was in the majority, though the wealth 
was with the other side. 

But, now that the ice was broken, it was astonish- 
ing to see how easily the opinion of any one could 
be elicited, and how strongly were the views in favor 
of a reorganization. Persons who before should have 
told of what, they had seen, now came forward and 
testified, explaining their previous silence to be the 
result of not wishing to have any "unpleasantness." 

When matters became so bad that they were 
openly apparent — after so many babies had died — 
then, and not till then, did some of these ladies come 
forward and state that " it was a real shame how 
things had been going on." Mrs. Morrell was called 
in, and the charges of inefficiency and neglect made 
against her. 

To the astonishment of many, she made no de- 
fense, except that she had " done her best, and ic 



THE UNFAITHFUL MATRON RESIGNS. 167 

was a shame — — -" Here she stopped, and handed in 
her resignation, written out in aril; in a hand that 
looked to me very much like that of Billings' confi- 
dential clerk. She would probably have finished her 
sentence, had not Billings (so I thought) winked with 
his right eye in a very suspicious manner. 

So she left, but only to take charge ot a half- 
orphan asylum in another county. Her chief re- 
commendations to that place, so it seemed, were — 
First, that she had quite an extended experience in a 
nursery, and second, that she was introduced by the 
Honorable Mr. Billings to the notice of the trustees. 
These trustees, knowing of Mr. B. by reputation, 
and appreciating the value 01 experience, appointed 
Mrs. Morrell — once Flynn, once O'Flaherty — and 
felt secure. How long their apparent security lasted 
I do not know, for I have never heard. 

After several meetings had been held, and much 
feeling had been shown in various quarters, a de- 
cision was arrived at. Mrs. Conant was placed in 
charge of the Nursery, with instructions to use the 
greatest economy consistent with health and happi- 
ness. The board of managers was decreased in sir. \ 
The executive committee of seven, chosen by tL :: 



1 68 A BETTER STATE OF THINGS. 



members of the board by ballot, were to hold office 
for one year, to have entire charge of the building 
and its wants, to attend to the finances, supplies, 
procurement of nurses, to divide into sub-commit- 
tees, and do the work formerly attempted by twenty 
ladies. The advisory board of gentlemen was to 
hold itself in readiness to assist with advice. Regular 
meetings were to be held, at which the physicians, 
advisory board, ladies and matron, should be present 
if possible — at least, until the real executive business 
came up. 

All complaints were to be submitted in writing to 
the full board, 

No more children were to be admitted than could 
be properly cared for. 

All directions of the physicians were to be regis- 
tered in a book, to be open to any member of the 
board, and every direction was to be carried out if 
possible, and if not carried out, the reasons there- 
f}r were to be entered in the book, opposite the 
directions. 

The matron was to be assisted by competent, piid 
help, and not by paupers or those who were incom- 
petent through ignorance or a low social standing. 



BETTER DAYS FOR THE BABIES, JC9 

Mrs. Billings had withdrawn her influence and 
presence, on the ground that " things had changed 
too much " Both physicians, with ruffled dignity, 
retired gracefully. Rev. Mr. Barnaby could " not 
longer countenance an institution which could not 
be independent and assert itself, in spite of falsifying 
investigating committees." Ah, the institution did 
assert itself, and the same old building which had 
heard the death-moans of many a baby, now re- 
sounded with merry laughter, and the joyful cooing 
of the little ones. Did any die? Certainly th^y did, 
as babies will always die, but the number was small, 
and there was no lack of careful, motherly attention, 
for many of the nurses were mothers in fact. Clean- 
liness and order were everywhere and in everything. 
There was none of the ioud calling in rooms and 
hall-ways that had disturbed the little sick babies 
in Mrs. Morrell's time. Inside the house, where the 
babies were, there was quiet and rest. The older 
children had a room to themselves where they could 
play and romp. On pleasant days, from the yard 
rolled upward merry sounds from the players there. 
The bedrooms, with the wire-woven mattresses, the 
clean counterpanes, the freedom from vermin, dirt 



I/O THE PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN GENTLEMAN. 

and odor, were real resting-places for the tired and 
worn-out bodies of the children. 

A year passed away, and the Rev. John Peters, 
chaplain of the institution, read the annual report 
and made a few remarks. The report was a record, 
plain and straightforward, of the substantial work 
accomplished, a full and detailed statement of re- 
ceipts and expenditures and the expression of hopes 
for the future. There was none of the clap-trap 
sentiment which so often mars the beauty and use- 
fulness of a charity. The remarks of the chaplain 
were -hopeful, encouraging ones. Not perfect, but 
striving to be ? he was the embodiment of the pro- 
gressive Christian gentleman. Without ostentation, 
without any previous study of mere statistics, his 
words touched the hearts of his hearers w r ith real 
power. They came from a heart overflowing with 
genuineness and zeal. No sooner had he uttered 
the final words, " My friends, we have had much to 
be thankful for during the year — let us pray," than 
Scott (who had served faithfully as janitor) hid his 
face in his large pocket handkerchief and prayed 
with his whole soul, even if his lips did i\ot move. 
There were other happy, grateful people there who 



WHAT SCOTT'S LITTLE BABY DID. 171 

agreed fullv- with Scott, "That if a thing was worth 
doing at all, it was worth doing well." 

The evening after the anniversary a reception was 
held at my house, and the thinking people assembled 
in goodly numbers and were happy. " Wasn't it 
splendid, Lena," said Miss Oley. 4< Arn't you glad 
that my doctor was appointed physician. We are to 
be married soon, and I don't object any longer to 
Doctor Lyons, because he is an unmarried man. 
Why, Lena, Scott's little baby brought it all about, 
I couldn't help loving the man, who loved that dear 
little tot." Yes, Scott's baby did effect this union 
and the little innocent did more — it established the 
Nursery on sate business and humane principles. 



Chapter XII. 

OUR JOHNNIE. 

^3 the Scott baby had effected much for the doctor 
and his lady, so the Matthews baby had taught us 
many things. 

Johnnie was now three years old, had passed 
through tribulations that grieved him and tried us. 
Some bad boy had " stole his yag baby,'' one 
r-f dumped his big fat worm out of the box," another 
called him Jack, while another advised him u not to 
wear petticoats like girls.'' He had '* swored at a 
man 'cause he stepped on the pussy's tail ;'' but it 
was ascertained that the swearing consisted in in- 
forming the man that he was bad, and wouldn't go to 
heaven. 

We cannot at this time follow our boy through the 
joys and sorrows always intermingled, with the top, 
kite, school and jack-knife period of a boy's life, but 
must retrace our steps, and inform you how he man- 
aged to reach his third year, or, rather, how a good 



-THE BABY'S TEETH, 1 73 



constitution, anxious friends, loving parents and sur- 
rounding circumstances, pulled him along life's jour- 
ney. 

Some time since we left him at his eight month of 
life, and the possessor of a tooth ; now the companion 
teeth, nineteen in number — known in the books as 
"milk, or deciduous teeth," because, as a rule, they 
fall out and are replaced by the permanent set — made 
their appearance without exciting as much comment 
as did the venturesome first one. 

To be sure, our servant became greatly alarmed at 
the prospect of the % eye-tooth ?! coming through, and 
Mrs. Vincent sent a package of slippery elm (it was 
ten inches in length and weighed about a pound) for 
little Johnnie to chew upon when the teeth should 
trouble him. Interested friends sent hard rubber 
rings and soft ones, black doll babies and white 
ones, for the purpose of amusing and benefiting, 
but he clung to his slippery elm and some lico- 
rice ropts. There were ail sorts of prophecies as 
to what we might expect when such or such teeth 
were cut, when the cold or hot weather would be 
upon us, when the whooping-cough, measles, scarlet. 
fever and diphtheria should appear in the neighb. 



174 " CROAKERS— MALE AND FEMALE. :: 



hood. Lena's connection w ih the Nursery brought 
her into communication with the female croaker or 
grumbler, and I stumbled upon the male ones in and 
out of business hours. The very fact of my known 
interest in the Nursery, and being recognized as a 
father, pointed me out as a target for the fault-finders. 
Old Sol Wiggins complained bitterly of the cost of 
supporting a family — the eldest child, meanwhile, 
having free board with a maiden sister in Vermont, 
the second 1 ad a good situation and paid his board, 
while the Nursery supported little Sim. Mrs. Lazelle 
was full of evil forebodings — was ready to point out, 
at any time, that some sick child would certainly die 
as the tide went out. The question suggested itself 
why can't the tide always come in, then? 

The Church Sewing Society became a gossiping 
society, and dire stories were told of what had hap- 
pened the various children at various times ; detailed 
accounts were given of severe accidents, prolonged 
sickness or sudden deaths. 

All this did not tend to calm the minds of sensitive 
parents, and it required considerable training for 
Lena and myself to hear these account3 without anxi- 
ety ; but we became quite stoical, so much so that 



JOHNNIE'S WELL CONSTRUCTED SCREAMS. 175 



our parents did really believe that we were less affec- 
tionate than of old. 

The Winter came and went without the doctor's 
visits. Our house could be kept comfortably warm 
at about seventy degrees Fahrenheit. We had 
learned the value of proper clothing for the boy from 
Lena's nursery experience. The lessons derived 
from watching Mrs. Conant's care of the Scott baby 
had shown the value of proper food. As the teeth 
appeared, baked potatoes, with beef gravy, bread-and- 
butter, oatmeal, swiebach, the pulp of a ripe apple, a 
very little stewed fruit, or the juice thereof, some 
meat to suck or carefully chew, were given and rel- 
ished. 

The greatest trials we had to contend with were, 
undoubtedly, kind-hearted but officious friends and 
neighbors. One warm evening when the windows 
were open, and people sat out of doors to cool off 
after the labor and heat of the day, Johnnie gave vent 
':o a series of well-constructed screams. One lady 
came from over the way to inform us that the baby 
vas crying, just as if we didn't hear the racket. It 
ttjay have been that she did not see us, in the dark- 
ness, sitting on the. steps, but it was provoking. 



176 DIET AND CLOTHING BETTER THAN PHYSIC. 

At another time Mrs. Ferry called with an oint- 
ment which she had made. " It was compounded 
from an old family recipe, and was good for most 
everything." The same lady had a cough mixture 
which she said had cured cases of consumption and 
colds of every kind, and she felt sure it would be the 
very best thing for Johnnie's cough. 

A few doors down whooping-cough had appeared, 
and several children in the neighborhood had begun 
to cough in sympathy. 

Johnnie's cold in his head, attended by a wee bit 
of a cough, afforded an excellent chance for Mrs. 
Ferry and others to bring forward various domestic 
remedies. Our boy survived the taste of a number 
of them, and there was no charge for a doctor till, 
after one dose given by myself against my judgment 
even, he was taken quite sick, and I felt compelled to 
send for Doctor Lyons. The doctor did not believe 
there had been any necessity for the dose, so 1 paid 
the fee and felt wiser. I thought and concluded 
that it would have been better if I had not given 
that dose ; so we learned by various mistakes that a 
large proportion of the slight ailments of childhood 
can be overcome by attention to diet, clothing, place 



" LITTLE WORRIES AND BIG WORRIES." 1 77 

of residence, condition of the air, exercise and clean- 
liness. 

These lessons were all the time, too, being brought 
h )me to us through our visits to the Nursery and to 
tenement-houses and baby-farming homes, to say 
nothing of the disgust produced by learning of the 
practices of friends — giving medicine* to ward off 
diseases, to cure (?) them, to get rid of phlegm, to 
dispose of bile, to increase or lessen the appetite, 
etc. Indiscriminate dosing was forthwith abolished 
in our house, and a stand was made against kind but 
persistent advisers. I have gone over some of these 
trials connected with the raising of our baby, and 
may mention more, for if any one expects to rear a 
child without worry of mind, such an one will be 
deceived. It was some of the so-called little worries 
that caused us the most anxiety, the how not to do 
it, as well as the when to do it. For the big worries 
we sought out competent advice, and then had the 
satisfaction of doing the best we knew how. So our 
little fellow, through his very helplessness, taught 
the parents how to have patience, how to manage, 
how to sympathize. What a store of information 

there was, too, in our visits to the tenement popu- 
12 



i;8 VISITING THE POOR. 

lation! Hundreds of families living in a block of 
houses, ten, twenty and even thirty families in a 
house, court-yards or alley-ways reeking with garb- 
age and filth, house-cellars receptacles for refuse, 
with imperfect drainage ; house-tops laid out as 
clothes-yards, or used on a hot night as sleeping- 
places when the bedrooms became intolerable. 

In the majority of these houses there were no 
conveniences for bathing. The water supply was 
not sufficient. The one iron faucet in each hallway 
was patronized by thirsty women and children the 
livelong day. What could a poor, but respectably 
inclined mother do in such habitations to keep her 
children healthy and free from moral corruption, 
when one must meet immorality in the hallways, at 
the water-spout — in fact, at every turn? She was 
helpless, unless better tenements were built where 
she could find others of her class, or if she was not 
upheld by the sympathy and aid from outside. 

Our little Nursery Reform Society gave this. 
With Miss Oley at the head, we visited these de- 
serving mothers, distributed pamphlets on health, 
tiie care of houses and children, pointed out how a 
little paint or scrubbing, a flower, a clean table- 



"A MODEL TENEMENT HOUSE." 1 79 

cloth, cheap wall-pictures, the arrangement of furni- 
ture and closets, the use of lime whitewash, a little 
disinfection, proper cooking-, the absence of greasy 
food, and attention to the little details of housekeep- 
ing, would result in keeping a home for the children. 

The gentlemen, on these visiting tours, did little 
else, I fear, than escort the ladies, which after-his-" 
tory pointed out as not being very unpleasant for 
Miss Oley and the doctor, at least. But when Mr. 
Solomon suggested that a model tenement-house 
should be built, and that he would furnish the funds, 
the gentlemen became active co-operators — with 
advice — and this building was established on " busi- 
ness principles." It sheltered many a worthy family 
at little expense to each one. 

Health became, in reality, wealth to many. No 
longer was there danger of contact with the low 
poverty which debases and defiles. In choosing 
from the applicants for rooms, we discovered that 
baby-farming was carried on extensively, and per- 
sons engaged in it were not admitted as tenants. 
One woman, receiving eight dollars per month from 
the city for the care of a child, had three children in 
her house — all babies — and these were fed upon a 



I S3 ONLY "ONE IN A HUNDRED. " 

quart of milk and a cup of cornstarch per day. There 
was not enough milk, and the cornstarch, like nearly 
all starchy foods, fermented, created trouble, and the 
children died, only to be replaced by another batch 
from the city's overseers of the poor. One woman 
was reported to have had one hundred children 
under her care, and to have reared one only There 
was every evidence of want ot care and the absence 
of oversight, so our Nursery, after its reconstruction, 
made arrangements with the city, by which the little 
ones were transferred to Mrs. Conant's care, and the 
baby-farming was largely broken up. Among the 
results of these investigations was the knowledge 
that many little children died, one might say, with 
the consent and by the wishes of the mothers. 

Overrun with large families, and with little means 
of support, the survival of the fittest only was the 
natural result, when tender care and means for the 
support of life could not be obtained. Here again 
the Nursery did a good work, and transferred some 
of these families to their country branch, where the 
children were made useful about the grounds, and 
the parents in and out of the house. 

In the early days of the Nursery it had been difB* 



"BABYS SECOND SUMMER. l8l 

cult to procure good nurses. Now many of the 
ladies, who were before mere figure heads as direc- 
tors, had opportunities for work — real, live work, 
So varied was it that each one's inclinations were 
suited. Some raised funds, some sought out the 
needy, found suitable nurse?, kept the interest alive, 
procured employment for those who had served the 
Nursery we'll, prepared entertainments to cheer up 
tie inmates, planned out and provided trips and ex- 
cursions — didunore work, and with more harmony, 
t'lan could have been expected if all were officers. 
Such a band of workers had never been known be- 
fore in the Nursery. 

In the midst of our work Summer came — Johnnie's 
second Summer. All sorts of evil had been prophe- 
sied, and t/e naturallv dreaded the hot weather. 
Neighbors were hurrying out of town, and places 
were deserted. 

My wife and I were besought to go away for the 
boy's sake ; so we did, and, after answering a cheer- 
fully worded advertisement, found ourselves in one 
small room, with a small closet adjoining, in a low 
hot, half-farmhouse and half-village residence, at ^ood 
boarding rates, where ice was costly and a luxury, and 



1 82 COUNTRY TRIBULATIONS. 

where milk, egg's and the best of the fresh vegetables 
were sent to the city. The advertisement did men- 
tion the fact that there were fresh vegetables, but 
did not say how they were disposed of. Mothers 
with sick babies were at the same house, and found 
it impossible to obtain what they were in need of. 

The country doctor lived miles away, and if wanted 
it might be hours before he could reach them. We 
had prided ourselves on not being compelled to em- 
ploy a physician, but our close quarters, scanty supply 
of milk and the hot weather, made Johnnie sick, and 
we then wished ourselves home, where we went as 
soon as we could, but it was a mistake bringing the 
boy to the city in the hot weather ; he only grew 
thinner and sicker. 

The seashore was not far away, so we went there 
to inhale the salt air and to derive benefit from the 
cool breezes, but we found that there were hot days 
there as well as in the city, and that, unless we were 
careful to keep the boy out of the sun and well pro- 
tected from the damp winds, that we lost rather than 
gained with him. That was an expensive Summer, 
one trip to the country and back, one to the seashore 
and back, doctor's fees, anxiety and worry of mind, 



BABY TRIALS OVER. 1 83 

quite an amount to place over against the peace of 
mind which we might have had if we had staid at 
home, where at least we could be comfortable. We 
looked in vain for large roomy apartments in the 
country, in the mountains, or by the seashore, where 
all the conveniences necessary to the care of the sick 
could be had at reasonable prices. 

Fall and Winter came, and our boy slowly regained 
his health, and soon reached his third year. His 
baby trials were over; we had learned much, had 
many sorrows and joys, and it was well that we had, 
for again the doctor was in the house, again was a 
nurse procured, and a second time was I a father. 

•* A dreary place would be this earth, 
Were there no little people in it ; 
The song of life would lose its mirth, 
Were their no children to begin it. 

" The sterner souls would grow more stern, 
Ui. feeling natures more inhuman, 
And man to stoic coldness turn, 

And woman would be less than woman." 



Chapter XIII. 



THE AUTHOR'S CONCLUSION. 



"THE Author having brought the "first baby" through 
many trials and narrow escapes, to his third year 
of life, now proposes to leave him in the care of his 
parents, and to supplement what the parents have un- 
folded to the reader, in a general summing up. 

The boy has developed into a fair specimen, and we 
cannot follow him any longer, unless we undertook to 
trace him through childhood into youth, but there is 
neither time nor space for such a journey. Some good- 
natured mother may regret that we do not undertake it, 
" because the boy is a mere baby yet, after all." True, 
he is somewhat of a baby, but he does not trudge along 
with a feeding-bottle tucked under his arm, and with a 
tube leading from it into his mouth, as many little chil- 
dren do, in remembrance perhaps of their real baby days. 
Neither does he eat between meals, any longer ; but he 
leads a systematically temperate life under the guidance 
of his parents, who have learned how to take care of 
children. Therefore, I am willing to leave him with his 
(184) 



WANT OF KNOWLEDGE. 185 

parents, and to close this little book with a few more 
practical hints for young parents especially. 

There are many young people who marry, as utterly 
ignorant of the proper care of a baby, and the expenses 
incurred in maintaining life, as Mr. and Mrs. Matthews 
were. The average young woman knows but little and 
the average young man less, about the structure and 
necessities of the human body. Some information could 
have been obtained before their marriage, but the bulk is 
gained through trials, expenses, annoyances, sickness, 
and even death. The young couple may or may not 
have judicious and kindly assistance in their time of need 
(though mothers and mothers-in-law abound), and so 
plunge along through life never learning — always wish- 
ing they had. 

Naturally enough, young parents look to their mothers 
for counsel, and fortunate are these parents if good 
counsel can be given — for there are four classes of 
mothers and mothers-in-law — the sensible, injudicious, 
disagreeable and harmful. 

The sensible mother, remembering her own trials with 

her first child, stands ready to give advice, or to render 

* assistance when needed. She does not assume all the 

responsibility of managing house and baby, but merely 

upholds the hands of the novices, and by manner, coun- 



^6 INJUDICIOUS MOTHERS. 

tenance and actions, affords comfort, hope and happi- 
ness. Such women are invaluable, and we cannot do or 
say too much for them. 

To the second class of maternals, the first is recom- 
mended as examples. This injudicious class has little 
judgment. Their children have been brought up to 
have things simply because they wanted them, or they 
have been managed too severely. They interfere with 
the dignity and authority of the young father, and the 
wishes of the young mother. They suggest or try to 
follow out impracticable ideas ; all the time sincerely 
believing — it may be — that these ideas are "just the 
thing." 

The disagreeable and harmful classes figure largely in 
domestic broils and the public courts. They have not 
been introduced into our story, as it was not our inten- 
tion to submit our boy to the risk of household feuds- — 
or fiends. Enough for him that he encountered what he 
did — and survived. 

Babies have been likened by some one to " living pulp." 
Soft they are, and delicate, with all of the organs, which 
contain the mechanism of life, either ready to perform 
their duties, or by development preparing to perform 1 
them. This mass of pulp — this delicate organism called 
" baby," is easily affected by proper or improper care. 



MATERNITY. 



I8 7 



Sensitive as a barometer, the baby by certain outward 
signs — as position, facial expression, cry, and color of the 
skin — often speaks with accuracy as to the parent's care, 
be it proper or improper. And what is proper care, asks 
the reader? It is the provision and maintenance of a 
healthful habitation, the giving of food which is nutri- 
tious, agreeable to the taste, well prepared and free from 
adulteration, the guarding against variation in tempera- 
ture by suitable clothing, the supplying of pure air for 
the baby's breathing — in short, it is an observance of 
hygienic laws such as we have already outlined, or shall 
have occasion to. Aye, proper care is even more than 
this, especially for mothers. 

" There are two sorts of maternity — that of blood and 
that involved in the care of children, the one being the 
complement of the other. Tenderness is the pivot of 
the former, intelligence that of the latter." 

The mother with intelligence, and little tenderness (for 
the woman must be a rare one who has no tenderness), 
fails to study her child as she should. Tenderness with- 
out intelligence is associated with perverted judgment, 
but the two elements combined produce our typical 
mothers. 

Babies need both, and with them a healthy body to 
start with. This depends largely upon the health of the 



HEREDITARY STRENGTH. 



parents, and will sometimes counteract the bad effects of 
ignorance and even brutality. The sturdy, half-clad, 
and dirty gamins of the street owe their vigor to good 
hereditary health, the living in open air, and to plain 
food. Among the young or the sickly children of the 
poor who are confined to the house, the mortality is 
fearful. Those who survive are in the main those whose 
rugged constitutions have been of iron, or who belong to 
a hardy race. 

This question of hereditary strength is intimately con- 
nected with the raising of children. It comes to us in 
the houses of the rich and poor alike ; ana its impor- 
tance maybe illustrated by the following incident related 
to me by a friend. 

A certain Doctor J , passing through a street in a 

country village, came upon a crowd surrounding a man 
who had been crushed in some machinery. The doctor 
was appealed to for assistance, but the man was mangled 
and had several bones broken. He was unconscious : 
his extremities were cold, and life seemed to be ebbing 
away so fast that the doctor did not consider it possible 
to do anything except to bury him when he should die, 
and so he informed the people and passed on. 

Soon a rough hand was laid upon his shoulder, and 
the owner of the hand, a fellow-laborer with the injured 
man, said : 



A PUNY BABY. 



189 



"Doc, what do you think of that man yonder?" 

"Think!" replied the doctor, "why that he will die 
and must be buried." 

"Now, Doc," urged the man, "do come back and do 
something; you don't understand them Fullers." 

So Doctor J went back, bound up the wounds, 

splinted the broken bones, and helped carry the body 
home. Fully interested he stayed with the man. For 
twenty-four hours there was no sign of recovery ; then 
he opened his eyes and asked for a drink. 

After leaving directions as to care, the doctor was 
compelled to leave the town. Some months after he re- 
turned to the place to find the man walking about. 
Ever since he believes in understanding "them Fullers," 
and so may we all. The Rev. Mr. Barnaby, Mrs. Bil- 
lings and Mrs. Morrell did not understand them and 
never will, and so were not fit persons to be interested 
in a Nursery. 

The mother who cares for a puny baby in such a way 
that it develops into a strong boy or girl, as the case 
may be, is entitled to more credit than if she raises a 
half dozen strong babies, but Mrs. Morrell could not 
see this. Her mental vision was so weak and unreliable 
that she looked upon babies as machines to be fed, 
clothed, put to bed, and punished even in a mechanical 



i go 



TYPES OF MOTHERS. 



sort of way. All of these machines were to be cared 
for, in her estimation, in the same manner ; hence very 
little tenderness was displayed, during her reign as 
matron. 

'The Nursery of which she had charge was introduced 
into our story, to illustrate certain types of mothers and 
babies, who could not be pictured in any other way. 
Many worthy mothers, from a love for children, im- 
planted in their hearts through their own darlings, be- 
come interested in some charitable institution ; but are 
liable, as " trustees " of such institutions, to be mere fig- 
ure-heads. They do not seem to appreciate the impor- 
tance of their positions, fail to exert the same intelligent 
oversight that their own children have the benefit of 
and have rather vague ideas that others will see that every- 
thing runs smoothly. 

This tendency to shirk responsibility is wide-spread, 
and the world needs more Oleys, Solomons and Lyons, 
each in his or her sphere, attempting to fathom the 
abyss of ignorance, and to separate the business princi- 
ples which constitute the machinery of all charitable 
enterprises, from sentiment and enthusiasm, which are 
indeed necessary but as assistants only. 

Unceasing vigilance will do much toward the rearing 
of children in public as well as private homes, and intel- 



SANITARIUMS. 191 



ligent employes who exert it, should not be dispensed 
with merely for some minor offence. 

There is also no greater mistake than to let polities, 
favoritism, or a religious belief have anything to do 
with the appointment, retention, or dismissal of any faith- 
ful employe. A tender and intelligent mother or nurse 
will be a vigilant one — provided her own health is good. 
There are feeble parents who cannot be vigilant; men 
and women so poor or in such destitute circumstances, 
from some sudden calamity, it may be, that they have 
neither food enough to properly sustain themselves 
or their children, and therefore have no strength to in- 
sist upon obedience. It may perhaps quiet the oily 
Mr. Barnaby, the resplendent Billings, rich in money and 
pride, and the dignified Doctor Naman to contend that 
these people ought to have brighter hopes, higher aspira- 
tions; that they should not despair, but should find work. 
Billings, Barnaby, and Naman never give such people 
any encouragement. They make no distinctions between 
the worthy poor and impostors, and yet these worthy 
poor must have encouragement if they are to be saved. 

These are the people who should be recuperated in 
mountain resorts, summer homes in the country, and 
seaside sanitariums. They yield the best results in 
health, happiness, and gratitude. When these results 



192 



THE TRACT MAN. 



are obtained, then appear hope, the desire and ability to 
work, and faith in the future — and not till then. 

During the late civil war, on my tour through some 
hospital tents after a severe battle, I encountered an ear- 
nest man who was endeavoring to do something for the 
poor sick and wounded soldiers, but evidently he knew 
but little of the stern realities of life. Going to the bed- 
side of a man who had lost considerable blood from a 
wound in the thigh, whose clothing was bloody and 
dirty from the wound and long dusty marches, whose 
very appearance indicated hunger and fatigue, he asked, 
" Is there anything that I can do for you, my unfortu- 
nate friend?" 

"Do?" replied the man. "Why, give me something 
to eat and drink. Dress this wound and then let's have 
something clean on." 

"I have no food for the body," said the agent, "but 
something for the soul, which i§ better!" And there- 
upon he drew from his pocket a religious tract. 

This called forth a volley of oaths from the soldier, 
and the tract man disappeared. 

Soon the wound-dresser came on his round, and the 
wounded man was cleansed, dressed and fed. Calling 
to the orderly of the ward — "Orderly," said he, "tell 
that man with the tracts I will read one now with pleas- 



TO STOP CRYING. 



193 



ure. But how could a fellow take it in when he had 
been fighting and marching for three days ? " 

Glance, for a moment or two, with me, my readers, at 1 
the women and children, one encounters on the streets, 
in public conveyances, in the parks and at the seashore, 
and let us learn what we can from observation as to 
parental care, before outlining remedies for existing 
defects. 

Sitting on that seat yonder is a small, thin, tired-out 
woman, nursing a large, vigorous baby. The sturdy 
youngster by his prolonged and violent nursing— vam- 
pire-like — sucks away the life-blood of the mother, and 
why? because the mother has not the courage to sys- 
tematize the times of feeding, or because that stolid, ease- 
loving father is disturbed by the babe's crying and calls 
upon the mother to check it, by the only method he 
knows anything about 

In that landeau which has just rolled by, drawn by a 

team of as fine horses as can be found upon the road, 

sits a lady, the wife of one of our first citizens, who 

boasts that " she has never nursed any of her children," 

and she has had three ; " nor would she nurse if she ha4 

a dozen." The only living child is a puny one ; a skele^ 

ton hid in silk and velvet, a child who never imbibed any 

tenderness from its mother, and consequently has now 

but little affection for her. 
13 



194 



THE GERMAN MOTHER. 



How different is the mother in that little group down 
by the shore ! not a strong woman to be sure, and with 
a tired look, but she has long since learned the value of 
tenderness, intelligence and vigilance. Her children 
have not been entirely entrusted to the care of nurses, 
and here she is interesting them with a story of the sea, 
whose waves gently roll themselves shoreward and 
break at her feet so quietly that they seem to wish not 
to disturb that confidential group. You may rest as- 
sured that the father of that family has assisted in the 
rearing of it. 

Here come, skipping and running, the Catherine and 
Fritz of one of our average German families, out for a 
day's airing. The buxom girl and the sturdy boy are 
but counterparts of Hans the father and Gretchen the 
mother, a worthy couple who believe in plenty of good 
food and an out-door life — a mother who was never 
ashamed to nurse her child, and a father who never hesi- 
tated to carry the baby, when necessary. 

One sees a great variety of mothers and children 
in these public places: snappy, snarling women and their 
children, spoiled children tugging at their disgusted 
mothers, for pennies to buy candy with; tired-out 
mothers, sacrificing themselves for their inappreciative 
children it may be ; timid mothers, nervously glancing 



THE HOME. 



195 



around in dread of the near presence of a case of scarlet 
fever or chicken-pox, or some dire disaster ; foolish, dan- 
gerous mothers, sitting in the hot sun with their babies 
while they feed them on candy, watermelon, and milk 
that is certainly " turned ; " boastful mothers, who delight 
to entertain their friends with stories of what their chil- 
dren can endure; peevish, irritable mothers, always im- 
agining that a neighbor has a spite against her and her 
baby, or she stands ready to cuff or scold any youngster 
who presumes to make advances to her child without 
an invitation. 

Mingling in all crowds are the happy families who 
have counted the cost and discomfort of their trips, be- 
fore they started, and who are never in the way. 

For all classes of mothers it will surely not be amiss 
to point out somewhat in detail, the essentials of "proper 
care" of children. 

The Essentials. 

These are found in private and public hygiene in the 
questions of home, the individuals and the relation of 
both to the community at large. 

1st. The Home. — No new house should be occupied 
before the tenth month after completion. A home should 
be so situated that the sunlight may enter one or more 
rooms throughout the day. These sunny rooms should 



I96 SUNSHINE. 



be the living rooms, except perhaps in very hot weather. 
To be sure, the sun may fade carpets and upholstery, but 
it will invigorate your child. Many a puny baby has 
gained strength by being allowed, while lying upon a 
warm blanket, to roll over and kick up his heels in the 
sunlight Trees are necessary about a house, to soak up 
moisture from the ground and to afford shade for chil- 
dren, animals and plants in hot weather, but they must 
not keep out the necessary sunlight from the house. 
The eucalyptus tree and the sun-flower plant are very- 
useful in decreasing the ravages of malaria by absorbing 
moisture. All cellars should be dry and well aired. 
Decaying fruit, meat, vegetables, or wood even should 
not remain there, as poisonous gases are evolved and 
rise into the house, especially if the house is heated 
by a furnace in the cellar, whose air-box conveys only 
cellar air. Air-boxes should always draw their air from 
out of doors. There are pitiful instances enough to my 
knowledge of whole families being made sick, and of 
deaths occurring from poisonous cellar air. Imagine the 
effects too of gases which permeate through cellar walls, 
from the defective soil outside, through which " filled in " 
ground the cellars have been dug. 

On the upper floor of the house should be an empty 
room, if possible, divested of carpet, curtains and uphold 



THE SANITARY ENGINEER. \gy 

stery, a room which in an emergency can be used as 
" quarantine " for contagious sicknesses. 

A bright, sunny play-room, where the children can 
romp and play, is always in order. 

As to the plumbing of this house I have little to say, 
for the reason that, after all that has been written about 
the subject by others, definite directions cannot be given 
in this little book. Suffice it to say, if you cannot have 
effective plumbing, that will keep out gases and poisons, 
have none at all, and depend upon movable basins and 
apparatus. Within the last year or two has arisen a new 
profession— that of sanitary engineer. The members of 
it, so far, are men who are reliable and can be consulted 
as to the healthfulness of sites and houses. But in our 
home, when selected, must prevail cleanliness, freedom 
from smell, a free ventilation by pure morning air, not by 
the air which comes to us merely through hallways, 
rooms, cellar, and closets, which have had no communi- 
cation with the outer air. There must be protection from 
storms, prompt disposal of sewage by good drainage and 
sewerage, and of garbage by an every day burning in the 
fire. Kitchen garbage, not removed every day, and left 
to ferment and putrefy, will breed sickness. Within a 
few months a " domestic garbage burner" has been in- 
vented which dries the garbage, then burns it, thus dis- 



igS BABY-FOOD. 



posing of it effectually, and with freedom from odor. 
Such a contrivance is desirable, for it seems to be impos- 
sible in our cities to have a thorough daily removal of 
garbage by carts. 

The heating of the house is a matter of some moment. 
Furnace heat is liable to be over-heat, too dry heat, or 
heat that is mingled with poisonous cellar air, or with 
gases from over- heated cast iron — hence is not as good as 
steam heat, or that from open fire-place stoves or grates, 
or good closed ones. The " Fire on the Hearth " is an 
admirable stove in a room where there are children. 

2d. The Individuals, — As to mothers and those in 
charge of children, it has already been stated that ten- 
derness, intelligence and vigilance should be their 
mottoes. Just in proportion as they exercise these will 
they approach to the highest types of guardians. 

The mother should nurse her baby so long as the 
baby thrives upon the nursing and the mother is not 
exhausted. In the present status of medical knowledge, 
much can be done to keep up the power of nursing. 
Among our foreign population nursing mothers abound, 
but among native Americans the number is decreasing 
year by year. 

a. The Baby-Food. — Milk should be the main food up 
to the seventh year. For babies pure cows* milk, w T ith 



PATENT FOODS. 



199 



the addition of from one-half to one-sixth water (de- 
pending on the age of the child); a pinch of salt and a 
little sugar is advisable. Barley water may be added 
instead of ordinary water, and lime water, if there is any 
tendency to diarrhoea. If milk does not agree, use bar- 
ley water alone, until the stomach regains its strength ; 
then thin mutton broth in very small quantities may be 
given. As to the use of patented foods, I refer you to 
your physicians, as reliable rules governing their use 
cannot be given in this small book. 

When a child has several teeth, it is in condition to 
begin to eat more solid food, as crackers and milk, 
baked potatoes and gravy, a very, very little tender meat, 
oatmeal and sweet bread and butter. Not until a child is 
two years old should it eat of everything or nearly every- 
thing from the common table. Luxuries are not adap- 
ted to children. Plain, wholesome food, in abundance 
and given at regular times, is what is needed. Tainted 
food, no matter how little tainted, should not be used. 

b. Clothing. — Flannel of varying degrees of thickness 
is needed nearly the whole year, in variable climates, 
and should be worn next the skin. Children's clothing 
should be light, warm, and durable. Extra clothing is 
better in the house than to increase stove heat to warm 
the body ; but too much or too heavy clothing tires out the 



20O AI R - 

child, produces perspiration which irritates the skin and 
gives rise to skin eruptions. No child should be taken 
on a trip of any length, without a supply of extra wrap- 
pers for emergencies. 

c. Water.— Next to milk, water is the best drink a baby 
can have. Many a peevish cry which arouses the family 
at night can be stopped by a " sup " of water. If there 
are any suspicions as to the purity of drinking water, boil 
it, or filter through charcoal and gravel, or one of the 
silicated carbon filters. I have known a young hickory 
sapling remaining in a well-prized cistern of drinking 
water for a short time, to have rendered the water 
unfit for use. Ice may retain impurities and must be 
watched. 

d. Air. — Plenty of air is absolutely essential for the 
child. Outside night air must be admitted into rooms as 
well as the day air, yet it must not blow directly upon a 
child, and can be warded off by screens, and by boards or 
ventilators which raise the lower sash of a window, allow- 
ing the entrance of air between the sashes. Good, pure 
air in a bed-room, with abundant bed clothing, will often 
secure a good night's rest, when improper clothing and 
close air would have kept the baby restless and worri- 
some the night through. 

e. Exercise.— Babies should be encouraged to use their 



EXERCISE. 20I 



limbs freely, but eare must be taken not to allow young 
or feeble children to stand upon the feet for too long a 
time. The everlasting holding of babies, resorted to by 
some mothers, is neither good for the mother or child. 
A model baby of my acquaintance was put on a warm 
blanket before a grate-fire in the winter, from time to 
time, and with little clothing on could roll and toast his 
body and limbs to his great satisfaction. Then he was 
put in the sunlight, and on pleasant days was carried 
out of doors. The little fellow was truly a model baby 
— on account of his model parents and grandparents— 
notwithstanding he was the first and only grandchild in 
the family. 

3d. The relation of the Home, and the individuals in it, 
to the Community. — We do not live for ourselves alone. 
We should be of service to our neighbors, to the place 
we live in, and to the country at large. Certainly we 
have no right, even in our own " castles,'* to do anything 
or have anything which will create sickness or distress 
for our neighbors. 

There is no reliable medicinal preventive known, that 
will ward off scarlet-fever, measles, etc , etc. Our chil- 
dren are liable to exposure in street cars, schools, and in 
crowded assemblies. If contagion does come to us, 
quarantine rigidly the affected children, and do not allow 



202 PUBLIC HEALTH. 



them to go out of doors to mingle with other children, 
till there is absolutely no danger of infection. Do not 
expose healthy children to contagion so that they " may 
have the sickness and be done with it." Remember 
always that the children who have been properly brought 
up will best be tided through sickness, and if each 
parent will do his or her duty, there need be no "sanitary 
reform associations." The sum total of private health 
is public health, and public health is public wealth— but 
until such times come, when people will observe health 
laws, and contagion will be unknown, disinfection must 
be resorted to. Disinfection of rooms, cellars, etc., may 
be effected by chlorine gas, evolved from a mixture of 
four ounces of permanganate of potash and one pound 
of muriatic acid. The objection to it is that it bleaches 
out colors. Sulphurous acid may be used by placing 
hot coals and sulphur in a lid on a pan of hot ashes. 
In either case, the window should be closed for six or 
eight hours while disinfection is going on, the carpets and 
hangings having been taken from the room. Sulphate 
of iron (copperas) and bromo-chloralum are useful 
to disinfect water-closets, garbage receptacles, and the 
like. 

And now the writer must part with his readers, 
trusting that the seeds of -truth, already sown in the 



THE END. 203 



story and the summing up, may not have fallen on stony 
ground. 

As an aid to those who may need the information, the names of the 
following reliable books and journals are given for further reference : 

" Health and Education," by Charles Kingsley ; the " London Public 
Health," and also the " London Sanitary Record ; " the " Sanitarian," 
published in New York; Chavasse's "Advice to Mothers:" Coombe's 
" Management of Infancy ; " the " Transactions of the American Public 
Health Association ; " Professor Fonssagrive's book, " The Mother's 
Work with Sick Children ; " Miss Juliet Corson's books on " Nutritious 
and Economical Cookery; " Simon on "Filth Diseases;" West, " How 
to Nurse Sick Children." 



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